Seeing Red
by Shawniexo
Summary: Claire, a young woman living in NYC, finds herself entangled in the lives of our favorite turtles. Together, they take on the Purple Dragons and run into a few surprises along the way. Leo/Raph/OC centered. Takes place in the 2003 TMNT-verse with references to content from the 2012 cartoon and the 90's movies.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

Claire leaned her head back taking in the cold air and slowly closed her eyes, exhaling sharply. She opened them again and watched her breath disappear up into the night sky. _Just another starless, New York City night_, she thought. Off in the distance, a police siren blared and Claire tensed up, focusing on the sound. As the siren began to slowly fade making its way to the intended target, she relaxed her body. She turned to Brad, grabbing his arm to check the time on his shiny, expensive watch. _One thirty AM – it's go time_. She looked up at her accomplice who gave her a smile and nodded his head. Her hands were shaking with excitement as she pulled at her black gaucho pants and adjusted her blonde ponytail. She felt so alive in this moment, knowing what was about to happen. The thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of the take-down.

She took one final look around to be sure they were alone and threw Brad a mischievous smile. He ran a hand through his long, black hair and smirked at her as he pulled a black mask over his head. Claire took a deep breath and pulled her ninja mask over her head, adjusting it so only her eyes were visible. Brad placed his large hand gently on her shoulder. "Ready?" he whispered, his voice slightly stifled by the mask. Claire nodded her head enthusiastically. They stood outside the entrance of a dark warehouse, a dim light visible in the back of the building. They peered out into the space towards the light where a group of men had gathered, silently loading boxes into a van.

"Let's do this!"

Together, they quietly maneuvered around the various boxes and stored machinery, working their way towards their objective. They were no more than fifteen feet away from the men when suddenly someone shouted "Hey!". Claire quickly ducked down behind a crate and glanced at Brad who signaled with his hand for her to stop.

"I see you eyein' the stuff!" came the voice again. "The boss said the shipment needs to be 'untainted'". Claire craned her head around the box she was hiding behind to get a better view. "NO TOUCHIN'!" he barked. She frowned when she noticed he was holding a shiny silver handgun. She felt a wave of panic run over her. This wasn't the usual job – the bad guys they normally took down were lightly armed with only baseball bats and their fists. She looked over at Brad and motioned towards the gun. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, but the concern in his eyes was apparent. Whatever was in the crates must be important.

Claire looked up towards the ceiling, analyzing the light source overhead. Pulling out the pellet gun from her belt, she aimed at the light for only a second and quickly pulled the trigger. With a pop, the lights went out, plunging the warehouse into complete darkness. Angry shouts of protest filled the air and someone started firing their gun. "Shit", Claire muttered. She ducked back down behind the box and pulled out her night vision goggles from the small pack she had belted around her thigh. Hurriedly, she adjusted them and clicked the switch on.

"I bet ya it's those god damn freaks! Those big ugly green ones I was tellin' ya about!"

Claire frowned. _What the hell is this guy talking about? He must be high on something._

"Stop shooting, you fuckin' moron!" one of the men yelled. "You are going to kill someone! Go get the flashlight from my bag." The gunfire ceased and Claire took the opportunity to look over at Brad, waiting for the next move. Claire watched as Brad took out a handful of small black marbles from his pack and flung them through the air away from their hiding place. As soon as the marbles hit the ground, the men shouted and she could hear footsteps running towards the distraction. That was their cue.

Claire and Brad quickly vacated their posts, quietly sneaking up behind the men. Claire spotted one of the men with a gun and spun him around, kicking the gun from his hand. "Ow-what the-!" he yelled in surprise. Sweeping his leg, Claire knocked him to the ground and she landed a swift elbow to his head, knocking him out cold. She stood up, kicking the gun away sending it sliding across the warehouse floor. She looked up and saw a large man making his way towards her, arms swinging wildly in the dark. After ducking and dodging each shot, Claire landed a hard uppercut to the man's stomach. He cried out and swung an arm at her blindly, catching her in the face. The blow rattled her concentration and she felt the anger inside of her spark. _No_! her mind screamed. _Suppress, control, redirect,_ she chanted the mantra her Sensei had taught her to control her anger. Glancing up at the man who was doubled over, she repeated the phrase. _Suppress, control, redirect_. Taking a deep breath, she took out his knee and sent him flying with a kick and a "Kiyah!" She walked over to the man now slumped over on the ground. "You're lucky I've learned to control myself. Otherwise, you probably would never be able to use that leg again." Unable to help herself, she gave him an extra kick in the ribs. "Stay down, creep" she sneered.

Looking around, she realized there were only two men left – both of them on the other side of the warehouse near Brad. Knowing full well he could handle himself, she took the time to study his fighting style. He wasn't as precise and technical as Claire, but that was because she was trained. She was a first degree black belt. He was just a gym rat who had aspirations of being a UFC star – but he was big and strong and it was proving to be effective. His fist shot out catching one of the men square in the jaw and the man fell to the ground, unmoving. The other man had managed to capture Brad from behind in a bear hug. The guy didn't stand a chance. Brad was huge and he put forth no effort in shrugging him off, grappling the man and sending him to the cold, concrete ground with a power slam. Panting heavily, he turned and looked towards Claire, giving her a thumbs up.

They were the perfect team. Strength and quickness. Brutality and precision.

Claire surveyed the warehouse, marveling at their work. Most of the men had been taken down by Brad. Though Claire was very proficient in martial arts, she was still tiny – relying on the darkness to help take care of her share. "Your gadgets have really come in handy", she said to Brad, tapping the goggles with a finger. "I know," he replied with a smile. "Some guy at the gym – ex-military – gave 'em to me." As Claire worked on steadying her breathing, she walked over to one of the boxes that had been loaded into the van. She lifted up the lid and peered inside. "EMPTY?!" she shouted to Brad. She didn't understand. Stumbling back from the van, she turned her confused face towards him.

They usually never touched anything after taking the criminals down – they merely did it for the rush of the fight. What they do is dangerous, sure, but they were both more than capable of pulling it off. The presence of guns tonight, however, had piqued her curiosity. "I dunno, babe. Maybe it was a set-up or somethin'", he said. "This doesn't feel right - let's get out of here and call the cops." Grabbing Claire's hand, Brad led them out an emergency exit door in the corner of the building.

"No, sir, the targets never showed. It appears to be two civilians – should we pursue?" A voice spoke into a communication device. In a dark corner of the warehouse, high up in the rafters sat several dozen Foot ninjas. "Understood, sir. We will not pursue."

* * *

Claire hung up the payphone and turned to Brad. "OK, cops have been alerted, we are good to go." They ran until they reached Brad's car – a shiny, brand-new Dodge Charger he had parked in the lot across the street. Jumping inside, Brad started the car and gunned it down Sixth Avenue, tires screeching. When they were a few miles away from the warehouse, Brad pulled over and put the car in park. They both turned towards each other with huge grins on their faces. Laughing, Claire reached for the car door and swung it open. She did a little victory dance as she made her way to the back of the Charger. "So, come back to my place?" Brad asked hopefully. Claire chuckled, deciding to tease him a bit. "Nah, I need to get home. Anyway, I'm on Delancey – I could just walk home from here", she said casually. Leaning up against the trunk, she watched as Brad pulled a change of clothes from the car. Peering over her shoulder, she observed him pull off his shirt, ball it up and throw it into the backseat. Claire couldn't help but stare at his incredibly toned body. He caught her gaze and grinned at her knowing she was admiring the view. She pulled her lips into a fake pout when he finally put on the new shirt and felt a shiver run through her.

Fighting had always given her a rush; she loved how it pushed her emotions high. A _really_ good fight had always left her body tingling, wanting; unsatisfied. Tonight had been especially dangerous and those feelings felt more intense than usual. They hadn't taken on guys with guns before. Brad made his way to Claire and put his hand gently to her face. Nestling her cheek into his hand, she stared up at him, her brown eyes sparkling.

Claire felt a stab of guilt for using Brad – they weren't officially an item. And he was her boss. But they had a deeper relationship than that. They were cut from the same cloth – both aggressive in nature and shared the same enthusiasm for fighting. Claire had never been the emotional type and was definitely not looking for a serious relationship. She felt herself giving in to his smoldering gaze and watched his muscles ripple as he moved both arms to pin her between himself and the car. _I don't think he minds me using him_, she thought with a snicker. He grabbed her brusquely and slid his hand under her shirt, slowly making his way up her back. Gasping, she leaned in for a kiss, her body shivering at his rough touch –

"CLAIRE!"

Her head snapped up as she was suddenly pulled from her thoughts. "I said 'thrusting inward block', not 'vertical outward block'. Where is your mind?" Her Sensei was standing in front of her with a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I am just having trouble concentrating tonight." She looked down in embarrassment as she realized the rest of her class was staring at her. Why was she thinking about that night with Brad? That was six months ago. She inwardly sighed. She hadn't been out with him playing vigilante like that in months and she was aching for it. Now, she just didn't have the time. Her grandmother had fallen sick three months ago and Claire had been visiting her apartment every night after work to take care of her.

Claire shook her head and forced herself to focus on her drills. "Thrusting kicks – go!" shouted her Sensei. Putting extra vigor into her movements, she carried out the rest of class with a renewed sense of concentration.

* * *

**_A few blocks away…_**

Michaelangelo spun around the lamppost with the greatest of ease, executing a triple flip before landing silently on his feet next to his three brothers. "Hey boys, hope you don't mind us dropping in!" The group of Purple Dragons standing before them pulled out their weapons, one member brandishing a large machete. Raphael snorted. "Ain't something like that for tha jungle? I mean, they say tha City is a concrete jungle – but you know that's just a sayin', right?" The machete-wielder let out a fierce cry and ran towards the turtle, swinging wildly as Raphael dodged each attempted slice. After the fifth swing, Raphael grabbed the Dragon's arm, easily overpowering him. Twisting his arm behind his back, the man dropped the machete crying out in agony. Raphael smirked when the man began to beg for mercy.

"Dude! That's like my favorite song!" Mikey shouted, swinging his nunchaku at a Dragon that had begun to run away. "Welcome to the jungleee, we got fun and gamesss!" Mikey began singing in a high-pitched voice.

"MIKEY!" hissed Leonardo, interrupting his outburst. "We are ninjas. That means be quiet and do not sing songs by Poison while you are executing attacks." He sighed and rolled his eyes. Turning his attention back to his target, he quickly slashed at the Dragon standing before him creating a large tear in the shape of an "X" on his shirt. The man frantically felt at his body, realizing his skin hadn't even been touched and shot a bewildered look at Leo. Leo returned the look with a cocky grin and sneered.

"Actually, Leo – Welcome to the Jungle is performed by Guns 'N' Roses – not Poison. But those bands could be easily confused. In fact -", Donnie interjected as he planted his bo staff into the ground, using it to swing his legs around into the gut of a Dragon. "Slash, who later joined Guns 'N' Roses, auditioned for Poison back in the 80's." He eyed the Dragon - now groaning and holding his stomach - waiting for his next move.

"Gee, thanks for the useless trivia, brainiac", Raph retorted.

"Okay, whatever, let's just finish this guys. We need to patrol on Houston." Leo unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches at the Dragon, rendering him unconscious.

"We should really go check out Delancey. I put together a crime map last night based on the past few months of police data. It seems like Delancey has gotten the most activity." Donnie swung his staff at the head of the Dragon sending him flying into a nearby pile of trash. With a final spin of his bo, he stuck in back behind his shell and wiped his hands together.

"Good work, Donnie. Alright, let's head in that direction, then." Leo, satisfied with the outcome of the fight began to climb up a nearby building to reach the rooftop, his brothers in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: _****_I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

* * *

It was a cool, crisp night – the taste of fall was in the air. The leaves on the trees were turning a beautiful shade of orange and the setting sun threw long shadows onto the city sidewalks. Claire's favorite holiday, Halloween, was just around the corner. She stepped out of her dojo and took a deep breath, drawing in the cool, New York City air. Smiling, she sighed contentedly and zipped up her coat, throwing the hood over her head. As she began the walk home to her apartment, her mind wandered to the evening's events. After karate class had ended, she sparred with a third degree black belt and bested him, gaining much praise from her Sensei. It didn't matter that she only stood at 5'4"– she was quick and precise. Smiling at the memory of her victory, Claire crossed the street as the wind began to pick up. She tucked her long blonde hair into the hood of her jacket and moved her right shoulder around in a small circle – it was a bit sore from the sparring session. She couldn't wait to get back home and take a nice hot bath.

She turned the corner and blinked as she took in the scene before her. No more than twenty feet away stood a large group of men in a giant circle. Some of them held weapons – baseball bats and chains. Claire whipped her head around looking for other city-goers, but realized she was alone. The men were standing over a young boy who had a terrified look on his face. "Please, sir, you can have it! J-just, please don't hurt me!" he cried. He thrust something at one of the men; it looked like a cell phone. The man who now held the boy's phone spoke – "Gee, thanks kid. What else ya got?" He stooped down to the boy, running a hand along his tall, purple mohawk. "Got any money?" The others in the group snickered. With wide eyes, the boy fiercely shook his head. "N-no, sir, I haven't g-gotten my allowance yet", he stammered. The man, clearly the leader of the group replied, "Aw, that's too bad." He turned to look back at the others and smiled, then turned back to the boy, quickly thrusting his fist forward landing a fierce punch on the boy's face. Claire gasped, gaining the attention of one of the men. Frozen in place, she watched as the man smirked and began walking towards her. She hopefully looked around the dark street – no one else in sight. She was all alone.

Taking a quick count of the men – ten – she knew the smart thing to do was to run and call the police, but she caught a glimpse of the boy, now crying, blood dripping down his face. She narrowed her eyes, feeling the anger boil up inside of her. With quick breaths she chanted, _Suppress, control, redirect; Suppress, control, redirect._ But the anger continued to build – everything was happening too quickly and there was no time to successfully control it. As the boy's cries grew louder, the blood in her veins screamed and she felt like she was going to explode. She yelled to the man who was advancing towards her. "HEY! What's going on here? I'm calling the police!" Blind in her anger, she fumbled with her duffel bag, her hand feeling along the bottom of it desperately searching for her cell phone. When she looked back up, half of the men in the group were sprinting towards her. Realizing she had no time to run, she dropped her bag on the sidewalk and readied herself. _Claire, you can't take on all these men, _came a voice of reason._ One, two, even three - sure, but ten?! _ She shook her head, forcing the doubt from her mind andslipped into her fighting stance, bringing tight fists up in front of her face. "I'm letting you know right now, what happens next – YOU asked for it!" She yelled out, gritting her teeth, allowing the anger to fully take her over.

"Hey, look Hawk! This one's a fighter!" The men had closed in on Claire and began laughing and taunting her. The leader of the gang - Hawk, still standing over the boy turned to look at her. He grinned and cracked his knuckles. "I love it when they fight back", he growled, stalking towards them. "RUN and call the cops!" Claire yelled to the boy. She turned her attention to the group that had surrounded her and sneered. One of the men stepped out of the circle and threw a right roundhouse punch at Claire. She brought her arm up to block it, followed through with a snap kick to his groin and chopped the side of his neck, making contact with a pressure point. He instantly dropped to the ground, wailing and clutching his throat. The remaining men rushed Claire, grabbing and punching at her. "Now boys – didn't your mommy ever teach you to NOT hit a girl?" Claire spat out at them before stepping into a double back handspring, furthering herself from the group. Blocking and striking, Claire was able to keep them at bay until she felt herself back into a brick wall – she realized, to her horror, that she was trapped in the alleyway.

The men were finally able to overpower her and held her arms back while someone unzipped her jacket, ripping it off of her and exposing her karategi. "Hawk, look! She's a _NINJA_!" one of them mocked, lowering his face to hers. She stared angrily at him, her blonde hair whipping into her eyes as she took in his features, noticing he had several grotesque facial piercings. Hawk grabbed the man and threw him out of the way. As he took Claire's chin into his hand and looked her over, she noticed a large tattoo of a purple dragon on his forearm. She struggled against her captors, but it was no use – there were two men on each side holding her arms back. Hawk brought his other hand up to gently caress her face, moving to stroke her hair. "Aren't you a looker", he rasped in her ear. Claire felt a wave of nausea.

"Why don't we talk? Looks like I could give you a few pointers!" She yelled at him defiantly, following that up with an attempted headbutt. He quickly leaned back out of the way and let out a high pitched laugh. "Woahhh! I like her. Nice try, honey." He stepped forward and slapped her. The others broke out in laughter. Claire drew a quick breath, trying to recover. Her face stung and her thoughts turned dark as she realized that the group was capable of doing much worse than just hurting her. She forced herself to look into the leader's eyes and wipe her face of any emotion. "You ARE a tough one," he said. He pulled a knife from his back pocket and whipped it open. This was it. She wasn't going to make it out alive. "Man, oh man, I'm going to enjoy this," he whispered as he dragged the knife softly over her arm.

A sudden piercing sound startled them and Claire's attention was drawn to the lone streetlight as it _ZAPPED_ , glass shattering and littering the ground. It was pitch black and Claire couldn't see a thing. Before anyone could make a move, Hawk began screaming. She panicked and tried to break away from the men holding her arms back. "It's those freaks! Those fuckin' freaks!" she heard someone shout. She heard the sick sound of something snapping – _an arm maybe?_ Someone behind her let out a bloodcurdling scream that gave her goosebumps. She was surrounded by darkness and the sounds of battle cries. The pulling on her arms suddenly disappeared and she felt herself fall forward. She threw her hands out to catch herself, but a pair of large, muscular arms encircled her grabbing her by the waist. Instinctively, she stepped back into the attacker and tried to land her elbows on his forearms to shake him, but he easily blocked it. Letting out a growl of frustration, she tried to elbow his stomach and again was blocked. "Hey! Just, calm down. I'm the good guy", the voice commanded. Claire froze at the man's words. She stopped resisting and he released his grip a bit. "Don't worry, you are safe now", he whispered to her. Something in his voice made her believe him; she felt comforted in the mystery man's arms.

"Worry? Psh. I could've totally taken all ten of those armed gang members," she said sarcastically, her voice shaking a bit. The man chuckled softly and she turned around to face the person who had saved her life. She looked up where she thought his face might be. Her eyes searched the darkness, wide and thankful. As her senses started to slowly come back to her, she realized the man's arms felt a bit strange. The texture – something was off. Without thinking, she ran her hands up the arms from wrist to elbow to further investigate. She heard a sharp intake of breath and the person quickly withdrew from her.

"Bagged and tagged, bros! Let's get the shell out of here!" She heard someone say. Turning towards the voice, her eyes searched the dark but she couldn't make anything out. "What about tha girl? She alright?" growled another voice. "Fine", another simply responded. Then there was silence and she realized she was alone. The only thing Claire could hear was her heart hammering away in her chest.

At that moment, a car turned past the alleyway, its headlights casting light onto the sidewalk. Claire could briefly make out her attackers - all of them were unconscious and had been tied together. In disbelief, she stumbled away from the scene, trying to catch her breath. _Those freaks_, Claire recalled one of the men saying. "Freaks?" she repeated to herself and gasped. _That night with Brad – the men had mentioned something about green freaks._ _Were they the ones who the trap had been laid for that night?_ Freaks or not – they had just saved her life. The sound of a nearby siren had her grabbing her bag from the ground and running off towards the direction of her apartment, not once looking back. There was no way she could explain this to the police.

* * *

Claire had been in the bath for nearly an hour. She had been re-living the night's events in her mind, trying to make sense of it all. She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, tendrils of hair from her loose bun dipping into the water, floating around her head. Placing her nearly empty wine glass down on the tile floor, she gently put her hand on her tender face, feeling the sting where Hawk had slapped her. She shivered despite the warm temperature of the bath water. She had come very close to being seriously injured, raped, or even worse – killed. She shook her head. She should've done the smart thing and run when she had the chance, but her anger took over. It put her in an incredibly dangerous situation – again. Claire had long been battling her anger issues ever since she was a little girl. Her parents died in a horrific car accident when she was seven and was sent to live with her grandmother. Though her grandmother was a loving, caring person, Claire grew up feeling like an orphan and she felt angry about it.

Things got really bad in middle school; she would get into fights on a weekly basis. Only through some intense counseling did she finally start to get the anger under control by the time she turned sixteen. Her counselor had suggested she get involved in martial arts to help keep her feelings in check - and it did. She was able to turn over a new leaf. She put all her energy into karate and her schoolwork and graduated in the top ten percent of her class at high school. Not only had she gone to college on a full scholarship and receive a degree in nutritional science, but she had worked her way up to black belt in a relatively short amount of time. She had been very lucky, finding a nutritionist position at a local gym only a month after graduating with her degree. She loved her job and had a great relationship with her boss, Brad. The anger she experienced in her childhood resurfaced every now and again - it has been a lifelong struggle for her. Her Sensei had tried to help with some meditation, but sitting in one place for so long didn't quite suit Claire. The combination of karate and playing vigilante with Brad seemed to help her stay balanced. Now that she was no longer fighting criminals, she recently found herself getting angry easier – case in point: tonight's run-in with the gang.

Claire caught sight of her pruned hands and sighed, lifting herself out of the water. She grabbed her fluffy red towel and wrapped it around her body. Making her way to the bedroom, she grabbed the phone and pushed '1' on her speed dial.

"Hello, Claire, my dear." The sound of her voice immediately warmed Claire's insides.

"Hi Grams, how are you feeling tonight?" Claire smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm feeling much better today thanks to the medication you brought me this morning. I just can't seem to shake this stomach infection! But today, I was finally able to eat some oatmeal and keep it down – and you know how I love my oatmeal." Claire bit her lip, worriedly. This had been going on for nearly 3 months. Her grandmother's doctor insisted that because of her old age, it would take longer to bounce back from the infection. The thought that some days her grandmother couldn't even eat her favorite food tugged at her heart.

"I am so glad to hear that, Grams."

"Honey, it's late, you should get some rest for work tomorrow." Claire smiled, "Okay Grams, you're the boss. I love you very much." "Love you too, Claire."

Claire ended the call and hung her head. It was hard hearing the one person she loved the most was in pain. Sighing, she flipped the TV on and tuned in to Channel 6 news. Claire put the volume way up and walked over to her closet. Grabbing her pajamas, she listened to the reporter, "In other news, crime in the Lower East Side has been steadily rising. In some areas, we have seen a rise in muggings and robberies by sixty percent. Local residents claim the street gang – the Purple Dragons - is to blame." Claire's head snapped up and she ran back to the TV. _Purple Dragons_, she thought. Her mind drifted back to the image of Hawk standing in front of her. He had a purple dragon tattoo on his arm. _So he was part of a gang?_ Her eyes were glued to the screen. The reporter continued, "We can only hope the police will crack down on these acts of crime and arrest the parties responsible. This is April O'Neil, Channel 6 news, saying goodnight!"

Claire crawled into bed with the TV remote and laid her head back against her pillow. She was utterly exhausted but too rattled to fall asleep. Opting for something less serious, she settled on a re-run of her favorite show, Space Heroes. Tossing the remote off the bed, she watched as Captain Ryan led his team across the landscape of an undiscovered planet. She giggled when the Captain slapped his ensign. _God, that will never get old_, she thought, sleepily. The stress of the night had finally caught up to her and her eyes slowly closed. She drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Did you guys see that?! I was like THIS and when he did THIS, I was all KIYAH!" Michelangelo was rolling and flipping around his brothers, providing a detailed account of how he took down his share of the Purple Dragon gang as they made their way through the sewers. "Yea, Mikey, we saw. Ya kicked shell". Raphael rolled his eyes at his brother. "I know, right, Raph!?" Mikey replied with a laugh. His laughter died down and he turned to face Leo with a pouty expression. "You got to save the girl. I mean, you TOUCHED her. What did she say? She looked like a hottie!" Mikey looked up at his older brother with a goofy smile on his face. Raphael turned to Leo, curious for his response. Leo never talked about the opposite sex. "It was business as usual, Mikey. No different than any other night", Leo casually responded, looking straight ahead.

Raphael snorted. "Oh, come on, Fearless. You mean ta tell me that when you had her in your arms you didn't want to just reach in and grab her-"

"UGH, real mature, Raph", Leo interrupted before his brother could finish his thought.

"OOO Leo, you saved my life!" Mikey ran up to Leonardo, hands clasped together imitating a damsel in distress. "How can I EVER repay you?" He batted his eyes at his brother.

Raphael snickered at Mikey. "Oh, I have an idea as to how she can repay me."

"You are sick, you know that?" Leo shot his brother an annoyed look.

"What?!" Raphael stared at Leo. "A turtle's got needs."

"I don't know, Raph. Two species can only interbreed if they are within the same genus. For example, you couldn't breed a dog and cat – the sperm of one would never be able to fertilize the egg of the other", Donnie pondered.

"Who said anything about BREEDING?" Raph growled. "I was just thinking about a little -"

Donnie stared at him. "Well, then I suppose it is anatomically possible."

Mikey and Raph gave each other a high-three.

Leo sighed. "What we should be focused on is how we are going to deal with the Purple Dragons. Have you noticed how many more of them we are running into a night? Something is up and we need to get to the bottom of it." Leo's words silenced his brothers.

In truth, Leo couldn't shake the image of the girl turning around to face him. He knew she couldn't see him, but he could swear her big brown eyes were looking directly into his. She had run her hands along his arms which caught him completely off-guard. Leo wasn't easily thrown off his game, but this girl did just that. She was beautiful and she could fight; not exactly their typical civilian rescue. Leo inwardly sighed thinking about what the Purple Dragon had said – freaks. He WAS a freak; a mutant freak. He could never be with someone like her. _What am I even saying? _Leo scolded himself_._ _Being a ninja is a dangerous and lonely profession. There is no room for relationships. _He needed to focus on the mission - _the mission is what matters, _he told himself. And right now, their main objective was taking down the Purple Dragons once and for all.

When they had finally reached the confines of the lair, the four brothers separated and went about their business. Mikey flopped down on the couch with his new issues of Justice Force and a box of pizza, Donnie had wandered back to his lab to work on his latest and greatest invention and Raph began his nightly training routine with the punching bag. Leo made his way to the dojo for a bit of light training and meditation. As he began running through his katas, a pair of brown eyes and full lips crept into his mind. Sighing in frustration, he shook his head and continued his exercises only to find himself performing them incorrectly. _Maybe a bit of meditation to clear my mind first_, he thought to himself. He took a meditative position on the dojo floor and began reflecting on the night's events.

He had first spotted the girl while he and his brothers were patrolling Delancey from the city rooftops. At the time, he didn't know she was female – she had her hood on. He did, however, see the Purple Dragon gang around the corner the unsuspecting victim was about to turn. He alerted his brothers to the situation and watched in fascination as the person fought back against one of the Dragons, reducing him to a pile on the sidewalk. Mikey had turned to him with a big grin and whispered, "Hey, maybe we can recruit him!" Leo had rolled his eyes, telling Mikey that was out of the question. When the gang had ripped the person's coat off, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. It wasn't a man at all; it was a young woman wearing a black gi. Her hair had been freed when they removed her hooded coat and the wind caught it, swirling it around her head in the night making her look like a fierce warrior from one of Master Splinter's stories. As soon as the gang leader pulled his knife, the turtles jumped into action. Leo directed Raphael to throw his sai at the streetlight and he immediately leapt to the men holding the girl back. He felt such satisfaction when he put one of the punks in an arm bar, pulling a little tighter than he meant to. He heard the arm snap and the man screamed. Leonardo felt a bit guilty for only second before thinking about what they would've done to the girl. It had taken no time at all to tie the gang up and he and his brothers swiftly made their way back up to the rooftops, climbing and flipping up the nearby buildings. Against his better judgment, Leo had turned to take one last look at the girl, but she was gone.

A sudden, small explosion came from the other room and Leo's eyes snapped open.

"Donnie, are ya tryin' to kill us? Get that thing away from me!" he heard Raphael's booming voice through the dojo wall.

"I'm sorry! It shouldn't be doing this - all my calculations worked out just fine!" Donnie angrily shouted.

Sighing, Leo stood up and made his way towards his brothers to break up the fight. _No time for women_, he thought, _I have real problems to deal with._


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

* * *

It had been nearly a month since Claire was attacked by the Purple Dragons. She wasn't injured and nothing was stolen so she decided not to report the incident to the police or tell any of her friends about it. She didn't want the attention of her co-workers and she especially didn't want Brad to know. She knew him too well; he would insist on walking her home every night after work and then go after those creeps for some payback. Claire just didn't want him involved. She was a big girl and could handle herself just fine, so she recruited one of the personal trainers at her gym to create a weight lifting regimen for her; she would feel a little better if she got stronger. She was also spending more time at her dojo, investing in some private lessons with her Sensei and staying late after class to run drills with the higher ranked black belts. She wanted to be more prepared if she ever had another run-in like that again.

It was a slow, Friday afternoon at the gym and Jill, one of Claire's co-workers and close friends, walked up to Claire's desk, her short, brown curls bouncing. "Hey, girlie! So I was talking to some of the guys earlier – let's go out dancing tonight! There is this new club opening up down on Grand and it's going to be fabulous!"

Claire considered this for a moment and looked up from her computer at her friend. "You know what? I could really use a night out. Count me in."

"Great!" Jill exclaimed with a huge smile. "So, how has your grandmother been doing?" she softly inquired, placing her hand on Claire's arm.

"Well, she's hanging in there. She's a damn strong woman – it's where I got it from." Claire chuckled quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, well, if it isn't the man who runs the joint", Jill said to Brad as he walked past the girls. Brad flashed Jill a weak smile before turning his full attention to Claire, his hazel eyes boring into hers.

"Hey Claire", he leaned across Claire's desk to playfully tug on her low, side ponytail. "Did Jill tell you about tonight? As your boss, I demand that you come!" He shook a finger at her, winked and walked over to the weight machines to check on a client. Jill threw Claire a meaningful look.

"There's nothing going on between us, Jill. Just friends, I swear!" Claire threw her hands up to emphasize her innocence.

"But he talks about you all the time!" Jill declared, red lips pursed, hands on her hips.

Claire sighed and stole a glance at Brad. He was very handsome. More than very handsome. The man was downright gorgeous; he looked like he belonged in some high-fashion magazine. Sure, he and Claire had been intimate for a few months, but there was no substance there. She didn't have any real feelings for him and certainly didn't want to lead him on if he was looking for anything more. Claire watched as the client who had Brad's attention became flustered under his gaze, trying to smooth her hair down.

"He does have a way with the ladies," Claire chuckled.

"By the way, have you noticed how secretive he's been lately?" Jill whispered to Claire. Claire raised her eyebrows. "No, what do you mean?"

"Well, I heard that he's been having these late-night meetings in his office with these strange looking men. One man came in and I swear to you he was the biggest man I have ever seen in my life. He was like seven feet tall, no joke!"

"Huh – that's weird", Claire muttered, frowning. She vaguely wondered if he was trying to recruit another vigilante partner in her absence. Her grandmother's sudden illness had her refocusing her priorities and she felt a little irresponsible if she continued the vigilante missions with Brad. What if something happened to Claire one night? Who would take care of her grandmother? Even still, she would feel a little disappointed in being replaced. Her and Brad had some serious partner-in-crime chemistry.

* * *

Clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a pink sports bra Claire fumbled around in her closet, switching the phone from one ear to the other. "Get out! Are you sure he said that?" Claire gossiped about her co-workers with Jill. She growled in frustration pulling one shirt after another down from their hangers. She couldn't decide on an outfit for the club. "By the way, what are you wearing tonight?" She glanced at the time; she was supposed to meet everyone at the club in thirty minutes. Turning her attention back to her wardrobe, a bit of sparkle caught her eye. In the very back of her closet, she glimpsed her sexy black dress that she hadn't worn in years. She grabbed the hanger and ran to her mirror. Hanging the dress in front of her body, she smiled approvingly - it was perfect. It was short but not too low-cut and had a bit of sparkle on the neckline. She grabbed a tiny pair of black hot pants to wear underneath the dress and began rummaging through her jewelry.

"Okay, I'm heading out - I'll meet you there in twenty." Hanging up the phone, she smiled at her reflection. After the craziness of the past week, she was going to let loose and have some fun tonight.

* * *

Brad led Claire, Jill and few of the other trainers to the front of a massive line at Club Blu. Claire watched as Brad leaned forward and whispered something to the bouncer. The bouncer looked down at the clipboard in his hand, nodded his head and moved aside to let the group in. Jill and Claire looked at each other. "Since when does Brad have all the cool connections?" Jill laughingly said to Claire.

As they walked through the entrance, they were met with a glass of champagne and loud, pulsing music. Brad sat with a few of the other trainers at a VIP table and Jill grabbed Claire. Drinks in hand, they wandered over to the dance floor; it was packed and the music selection was perfect. Claire began to move in time to the music, her body swaying as the crowd pulsated - it was electrifying. She closed her eyes allowing herself to get lost in the moment. When she opened them again, her eyes fell upon Brad who was intently watching her while sipping his champagne. She realized there were a few men at the table with Brad that she did not recognize. He shifted his eyes from Claire to one of the men, shaking his hand before the strange man stood up from the table to leave. Once Brad was alone again, Claire gave him a small wave and motioned for him to join her and Jill. He drained the contents of his glass and stood up from the table, making his way to the dance floor with his trainers following closely behind.

It started out just fine – the whole group was dancing with one another in a friendly, casual way. Somehow, Brad wound up behind Claire, grinding the front of his body against the back of hers. "I've really missed you, Claire" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Those nights, fighting and fucking – I can't get you out of my head." She hesitated for a moment and he took the opportunity to slide his arms around her. She gasped as the memory of the mystery man's touch came flooding back. Though Brad's arms weren't quite as big, it had brought her back to that night she was jumped. Even though it was one of the scariest nights of her life, it was also one of the times she's felt most comforted.

She suddenly felt inexplicably uncomfortable in Brad's arms. Claire grabbed Brad gently, turning around to face him with a small smile. "I'm going to hit the ladies room!" she yelled above the music. Brad frowned as Claire exited the dance floor. She pushed the door to the restroom open and walked over to the sink.  
Leaning forward, she drew in a deep breath. _What just happened?_ The mystery man's touch was doing strange things to her - she used to feel that way with Brad, but that was only after a good fight. She didn't have any true feelings for Brad. _Oh, what and you have true feelings for a stranger?_ she mockingly thought to herself. Sighing, she reached into her clutch pulling out her lipstick. She quickly re-applied it in the mirror and fussed with her hair for a moment before reluctantly heading back out to the dance floor. Jill must have caught the vibe, because she hung on to Claire, dancing with her for the rest of the night.

A few drinks later and Claire was feeling good. She was a little buzzed as she stepped out of the club and onto the sidewalk with her crew. "That place is amazing!" Jill declared, her arm hooked around Claire's.

"No kidding," Claire agreed enthusiastically. "We seriously need to do this again".

Jill yawned obnoxiously. "Ugh, I have yoga class tomorrow morning - what time is it?"

Brad looked down at his Rolex. "Two-thirty", he replied.

The group began saying their goodbyes and hailing cabs, so Claire threw Jill a hug and whispered in her ear, "I'll call you tomorrow. Get home safe!" Before she knew it, only her and Brad remained. She turned to him, hoping he wouldn't offer for her to stay at his place. Feeling this buzzed, she just might take him up on it. _A girl's got needs_, she thought.

* * *

Leo was jumping from rooftop to rooftop with a little more vigor than usual. He had gotten into another argument with Raph. He couldn't even remember what they had argued over. _Probably something unimportant, _he thought angrily_. _Normally Raph was the one to go topside after their fights, but Leo had stormed out before anyone could move. He had done a bit of meditation in a quiet area near Central Park, but he couldn't shake the anger he felt. He had been feeling a little on edge lately and he wasn't entirely sure why.

_Ever since that night we saved that girl from the Purple Dragons_, Leo realized. He knew he shouldn't be harping on it, but he couldn't help the way he was feeling. He and his brothers never spoke about it, but they didn't have to. They would never find mates – all they had was each other. _Who in the world would want them?_ It's not like the city had an underground mutant scene – they were one of a kind. Maybe having one another was enough for his brothers, but there were times Leo felt an unfamiliar pang of longing for something else. _It would never happen – totally out of the question_, he told himself.

An unruly crowd of people lined up outside of a building caught his attention. The sign on the outside said **CLUB BLU** in bright, trendy lettering. Undetected, Leonardo leapt across to the top of the building. He noticed a skylight in the roof that allowed him visual access to the dance floor. _Well, couldn't hurt to rest for a few minutes_, Leo thought. Taking a seat, he took to people-watching, observing the way they danced with one another, criticizing the ones that had no rhythm. Ten minutes had gone by and Leonardo had just gotten up to leave when a whip of blonde hair caught his eye. He nearly choked when he saw her. HER. The girl they had saved weeks ago. She was in the club on the dance floor moving her body in a way that made Leonardo blush. The black dress she wore accented her figure and the bottom of it rode up her thighs the more she moved. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Losing track of time, he stood there, hypnotized, watching her body sway. A man approached her from behind and he deeply frowned. _Of course she had a boyfriend, how could she not?_ But she stopped dancing as soon as he approached and Leo saw the look in her eyes – she was not happy. She departed the dance floor, leaving the man looking very confused. Curious, Leonardo ran to the edge of the rooftop monitoring the exit. Fifteen minutes had past and Leo was growing impatient but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He needed to see her again. An hour and a half later, she finally emerged from the exit. He watched her group slowly get smaller as they each got into a cab. _What am I doing right now- this is pathetic_, he thought, shaking his head. But he couldn't help himself; he needed to make sure she got home safe. He felt it was his duty.

The man who approached her on the dance floor was trying to get her in a cab with him, but she was clearly declining the invitation. "She said no, creep", Leo growled softly to himself watching the scene before him unfold.

"Brad, really, I'll be fine. My apartment is literally five blocks away", he heard her say.

Smirking with satisfaction, Leo watched the man get into a cab alone and began shadowing the girl along the rooftops.

Claire watched as Brad's taxi pulled away from the sidewalk. _Whew_, she thought. _I gracefully dodged that bullet_. It had taken much convincing, but Brad finally left Claire alone. She had to admit, it was very tempting to go back to Brad's place, but if tonight taught her anything, it was that she did not feel the same way as Brad felt about her. It wasn't fair to Brad; she would just be leading him on. Sighing, Claire began the trek home. She hadn't walked a few minutes when two men on the opposite side of the sidewalk called out to her. "Hey baby, where ya headed?"

Claire raised an eyebrow at the men and ignored them, pushing past to continue walking.

"Hey, sexy! Where do you think ya going?" Annoyed, she turned around to give them a piece of her mind, but was shocked to see that the two men had turned into six. Her eyes were drawn to one of the men in the front of the group – why did he look so familiar? She narrowed her eyes at them, "Look, I am just trying to get home."

"And we are just looking to blow off some steam. So why don't you come with us and we'll show you a good time. We won't hurt you – much". A few of the men snickered.

Claire subtly reached behind her, snapping open her tiny, green clutch, feeling for her pocket taser.

"Boys, boys, boys – I'm just not that type of girl. Why don't you run along home to your mommies?" Those drinks she had earlier were seriously affecting her brain to mouth filter.

"Oh, you think you're so funny. Maybe I should teach you a lesson", the man began to stalk towards her.

Claire whipped the taser out from behind her back and aimed it at the man's groin. She quickly squeezed the trigger and hit her target successfully. The man fell to the ground screaming in pain. "Ughhh, you bitch!"

"Bullseye!" Claire shouted triumphantly. She glared at the other men, daring them to move.

"What are you uhhh- standing there for? Gah. GET HER!" the man on the ground cried.

The three remaining men rushed Claire – _wait weren't there five?_ she vaguely thought. She began attacking them without thinking, knocking one of them to the ground with a spinning back kick, grateful for those hot pants under her dress. As she planted her foot back down on the ground, she wobbled, nearly losing her balance. Looking down, she realized her heel had been broken.

"Ugh! she cried in disgust. "You see what you assholes did? These are Manolo's!" She looked down briefly to kick them off. Standing back up, she assumed a fighting stance only to realize the men were no longer in front of her. _What the hell? _

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she whirled around angrily, hand raised and ready to strike. She was blocked by a strong arm and got a good look at the attacker under the streetlight. She gasped and froze in place. Eyes wide, she barely whispered, "W-w-who are you?"

"I – I took care of the other men that were bothering you. Don't worry ma'am, I'm the good guy", Leo quickly replied.

The familiarity of the words resonated with her. Eyes widening even more, she dropped her arm from its attempted attack and simply pointed at him. "Y-you. You were the one who saved me. A t-turtle?" He gave her a tight nod, not knowing how she was going to react.

"Duck", she simply said.

"W-what? No I'm a **turtle**." Leo's brain was screaming; he hadn't meant for her to see him and he was completely thrown by the situation he was currently in.

"DUCK!" she yelled this time. He then understood and crouched low as she threw a spinning heel kick over his shell at the attacker who had approached him from behind. _I was so fixated on the girl, I wasn't even minding my surroundings. Sloppy_, he thought to himself in disgust. Still crouching, Leo looked over his shoulder at the steady stream of Purple Dragons running towards them. _Where are all these punks coming from?_ He turned to face them, slowly unsheathing his katanas, retreating slightly to gain some distance until his shell bumped into Claire's back.

Claire realized they were surrounded. Back to back, Leonardo and Claire prepared themselves for the inevitable fight.

"Listen, we don't want to fight you." Leo said with an air of authority, putting his katanas away.

"What?! Are you kidding? Let's take these creeps out!" Claire shouted to him, her fists tightening.

Leo sighed. "You sound just like my brother." He took another look around at the gang. "Fine, looks like we don't really have a choice. But you just stay behind me and I'll take care of -" Leo started, but Claire had already began throwing punches.

Despite her buzz, she easily took out the first two men – they weren't nearly as good as the gang she ran into a month ago. She turned to see how her new friend was doing. He was tearing through them like they were nothing. Smirking, she spun back around and came face to face with the largest man she had ever seen. Frozen in place, she watched as the man looming before her reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "HEY!" she yelled in protest. Claire swung her other arm around at his face but he easily caught it and lifted her up by the neck. She managed to swing her feet hard into his stomach causing him to release his grip a bit. She slid down to the ground gasping, holding her neck. Her eyes narrowed as she felt the familiar spark, not even bothering to try to contain it; in fact, tonight, she was welcoming it. She eyed a piece of glass on the ground and picked it up. She ran at the large man attacking him with every ounce of her strength. He threw out punch after punch, but she was quick and evaded each one easily. She spun around him and sliced into his back with the glass. He let out a loud, deep yell which gained the attention of Leonardo. Whipping his head around, his eyes widened – _Hun!?_ He watched with dismay as Claire battled Hun. Panicked, he began carving a path to her, easily taking out each Dragon along the way.

**Punch, slice, punch, slice**. Claire had begun a pattern of dodging Hun's attacks and then slicing him. "Real big man you are, picking on a girl like me!" Claire yelled at him, catching him with the glass again on his arm. With a loud "KIYAH!" she leapt up off a nearby dumpster and sliced his face. "You bitch!" he screamed, covering his face, now bloody from the wound. He suddenly charged forward, catching her by surprise and put her in an armbar, knocking the piece of glass from her hand.

The number of Dragons had nearly doubled and Leo was still trying to cut through them to get to Claire. _Almost there_, Leo thought desperately.

Hun easily picked her up, bringing her close to his face. Claire tried to fight back but found she had no energy left. "You are NOTHING", he declared and laughed. He tossed her into the side of the building, her body hitting the bricks with a loud THUNK. "Noo!" Leo cried out. With a sudden burst of speed, he sprinted forward knocking over a group of Dragons in his way.

Claire groaned at the pain she felt in the back of her head and reached down to touch her side; she had been cut on the brick. She looked up to see her friend fighting the large man ferociously, his katanas slicing away. Her vision began to get fuzzy and slowly went dark as she felt herself fade away.

Claire drifted in and out of consciousness as she vaguely felt herself swaying above the ground.

* * *

The images of pipes. The sound of water. She fought to open her eyes, but found she didn't have the strength. Finally, Claire allowed herself to succumb to the darkness.

* * *

When she finally came to, she found herself in a small, unfamiliar room. She sat up, wincing as she felt a pain in the back of her head. Gently placing her hand on the wound on her side, she realized someone had bandaged her up. She looked around in the dark- _Where the hell am I?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._

_A/N: Thanks to tmntfangirl84 for your reviews and a big thank you to my followers._

* * *

Claire peeled the orange blanket off her body and slowly sat up moving one hand to her injured side, feeling at the bandage. Wincing, she swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed, feeling the cold air cling to her body. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered. _Why is it so cold?_ She looked down and realized she was still wearing her tiny black dress. Rubbing her arms to get them warm, she looked around the room in the dim light, noting superhero and movie posters on the wall and tons of action figures on the shelves. Her eyes fell upon her clutch sitting on the bedside table. Grabbing it, she pulled out her compact mirror to take a closer look at the gash on her side. She nodded her head approvingly; whoever had bandaged her up had done a pretty good job. Digging for her cell phone, she checked the time. _Four thirty_. She frowned when she realized her taser wasn't in the bag. She could've sworn she put it back in there after she used it on the first Dragon. _Dragon_ – she thought. Details of the past few hours came flooding back, but she fixated on the memory of the giant turtle creature that fought with her. She was so caught up in the moment of the fight she hadn't had the time to truly be freaked out. _How weird was that? It even talked! _"Well, that's New York City for you, I guess,"she said to herself quietly_._ She slid her bare feet down to the cold floor and slowly stood up, eyeing the curtain towards the front of the room. She froze when she heard voices coming from another room nearby.

"What the shell were you thinking, Leo?! Master Splinter is going to have a fit when he finds out! Not to mention that with this type of attack pattern, the Purple Dragons are clearly planning something. What if she's a spy? What if this is part of their plan – to find out where we live?"

"She was lying there unconscious, Donnie. What was I supposed to do? Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing. Besides, I don't think I need to remind you that I'm the leader; it was MY call."

"Oh right, how could we forget. Mistah Leader can do whateva he wants."

"No way she's a spy, bro. No black trench coat, no shady eye patch, no menacing black gloves."

"Uh, Mikey, sounds like you are describing Nick Fury."

"Yea, and? Dude, Nick Fury is like a super-spy. She looks nothing like Nick Fury, therefore, she is not a spy."

She recognized the first voice belonging to the turtle that saved her and she immediately felt relieved. At least she was in friendly territory. _I think_, Claire thought, frowning. Taking a deep breath, Claire reached for the tattered, orange curtain and slowly moved it aside. She found herself on the second floor of a giant, open space. She looked to her left and saw three other rooms each with a different colored curtain. The first floor of the space appeared to be the living area complete with rugs, furniture and a large entertainment system. Claire identified the source of the voices coming from a dark corner downstairs near the couch – four giant turtles. She tiptoed away from the bedroom and made her way down the stairs towards the creatures. Unaware of her presence, the turtles continued arguing, getting louder.

"HUN was there, Donnie. Who knows what he would've done to her!" As she got a little closer, she recognized the turtle with the blue bandana. There were three others that looked similar to him, but they were varying heights and shades of green.

She gently cleared her throat and the four turtles whipped around to face her. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious in her short dress, she tugged at the hem a little, looking down at her plum-colored toes. The one in the red bandana stared at her in disbelief, arms crossed. "W-wait a second, is that the girl we saved like a month ago? It is! I can't believe this. Were you stalkin' her or somethin', Fearless?" He turned back to the turtle in the blue bandana, eyes narrowed.

"We are not going to hurt you," the one in purple quickly added, his arms up in the air.

"I-I know", Claire simply replied. She nodded her head in the blue turtle's direction. "He and I were fighting together against those Purple Dragon guys".

"You were fighting WITH her?! Oh man, this is just TOO good." The red turtle smirked, eyes still on the turtle in blue.

"No, no, he came to help." Claire made her way towards the group in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "I was walking home alone and was jumped."

The turtle in the orange bandana bounded up to her with his hand outstretched. "Sorry about my brothers – they are super rude and think you are a spy. But I know better, my name's Mikey." She hesitated for a moment, wondering how to shake his hand. She settled on placing hers in between two of his fingers. He squeezed it gently and she gave him a small smile. "I'm Claire" she responded, looking up at the smiling turtle. "And definitely NOT a spy," she added quickly.

"This is Donatello, Leonardo and that weird-looking guy over there is Raphael," Mikey continued. Raphael scowled at Mikey.

"Uh, it's a little cold in here. Do you have a jacket or something I could borrow?" Claire said, rubbing her arms, looking around the room.

Donnie grabbed something off the couch nearby and walked it over to her. He draped the jacket around her arms and she smiled up at him. "Thanks".

"I hope the bandage feels OK. I tried to close up the wound as tightly as I could." Donnie's eyes shifted to Claire's side.

"Oh, no, thank you. It feels just fine." Claire responded, snuggling into the jacket.

"Hey, that's my –" started Raphael, arm outstretched as if to stop her.

"Motorcycle jacket", Claire finished, looking down at the leather jacket that was ten times too big. She looked up at Raphael. "You have a bike?"

"Uh, yea", he responded, crossing his arms, looking directly into her eyes. "She's my baby."

"A motorcycle-riding turtle. Huh. Well, that's pretty cool. I'm really into bikes – used to ride all the time in high school. If it bothers you, I could put something else on." Claire began to shrug herself out of the jacket.

"What? Oh, no – no it's alright." Raphael slowly walked towards her, helping her back into the jacket. "It, uh, looks good on ya." He suddenly became very interested in something on his arm.

"Yea!" Mikey exclaimed. "You look like one of those hot hair metal chicks in the 80's music videos! You know- tight dress, leather, ROWWWWW!" Mikey played air guitar, emphasizing his point.

Claire giggled, looking up at Donnie. "He always like this?"

"You have no idea. He is relentless," Donnie replied, rolling his eyes.

Claire glanced over at Leonardo. He had not said a word; just stood there, silently observing everyone. "Leonardo, right? I really owe you; you've helped me out twice now." She chuckled. "I promise I'm not usually the damsel in distress. In fact, I'm usually the one taking down the crimin-" she stopped mid-sentence and flickered her eyes up at Leonardo – she didn't really want to divulge that information to complete strangers. He stared at her curiously.

"But enough about me, what I would love to know is where you guys came from."

"Well, THAT'S a long story that requires popcorn," Mikey said cheerfully, leading Claire over to the couch.

For the next hour, the turtles explained how they came to be, Claire soaking in every detail and asking many questions. In return, Claire talked about her parent's accident and how she was brought up by her grandmother. She left out her recent vigilante stints, but briefly touched on her temper issues to which Mikey had said, "Oh man, you and Raph would seriously get along!" Claire laughed, stifling a yawn.

"Well, I should really get going. It's nearly morning. And I promise, I will keep your secret", Claire  
said, stretching.

Mikey stood up from the couch, "I'll walk you home. Just one thing you should probably know before we leave. We kinda live in the sewers."

Claire blinked at Mikey. "Wha-?"

* * *

The walk home with Mikey was extremely enjoyable. He was so easy-going and comfortable to be with, they got to talking about everything. After finding out that they were both cinema nerds, they quizzed each other with movie trivia the rest of the way home. Laughing, Claire put the key into her apartment door. She opened it and turned to him. "Well, this is me. I really appreciate you guys taking me in tonight after what happened. I really don't know what would've happened if…" her voice trailed off as she thought back to the large man.

"No worries, babe. We got you covered. Oh and here, this is my number. If you ever need us for anything – sparring partner, pizza partner, movie partner, you know. Just give us a buzz."

Claire closed the door and pressed her back up against it, closing her eyes. _What a weird night_, she thought. She peeled off her dress, paying extra care to the bandage and fell onto the bed in her bra and panties, pulling the blanket over her head.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

Claire dropped the gold, brassy knocker and pulled back from the door to check her cell phone. She had a good hour before work. She rubbed her hands together, trying to ward off the bitter cold. The door of the brownstone apartment opened and Claire was met with the smell of homemade tomato sauce.

"Grams!" Claire rushed forward and threw her arms around her grandmother, smiling when she felt her grandmother's hands run through her golden hair. Claire pulled back to look at her warm face. "How are you feeling?"

"Doing great! Come on in Claire, you'll get a cold standing out there." Claire followed her inside, taking off her coat and hanging it on the rack near the front door. "Mmmm Grams, is that your world famous sauce? It smells so good in here!"

"Of course! I wanted to make some for you since I knew you were stopping by today. You can take some home and bring it in to work for lunch."

Claire kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "You're the best, Grams." Claire put the plastic bag she was carrying down on the kitchen counter. "Here's your Halloween candy! I got some good ones – those lucky kids", Claire winked at her.

"Oh, thank you, sweetie. You know how much I love Halloween; I've got my witch costume all ready for when I answer the door." Claire chuckled at the thought of her grandmother in costume.

"So tell me about work, dear. How is the gym doing?" She handed Claire a mug of coffee.

"Great! We've been getting so many new members! I might've been a little too hard on some of them, though. You know how I can get." Claire took the mug from her grandmother and blew on it, taking a sip.

"And what about a boyfriend?" Claire choked a little on her coffee.

"Grams, you know I have trouble being….tied down." Claire tried searching for the right words.

"Claire, hunny, you might have a tough girl exterior, but I know that underneath all of that, you are a sweet, caring girl."

Claire smiled lovingly at her grandmother.

* * *

Claire arrived at the office a little early, eager to get started on her Monday morning work. She sat at her desk and caught sight of the stack of papers. She groaned, giving the pile an evil-eye. Taking a sip of her coffee, she started sifting through it. _Wow, so many new members. _By the time noon hit, Claire had already met with four new clients to discuss their nutrition regimens.

Taking a bite of her Grams' pasta, she began typing away, creating plans for the members in the paper stack. She was so lost in her work, by the time she looked at the clock, it was four. Glancing up at the pile that was now substantially smaller, she realized she only had a few left. Working through the rest of the member profiles, Claire watched the gym offices get dark and grow quiet as the trainers slowly made their way home. Finally finishing the last plan, she clicked 'Save' and leaned back in her chair, looking around. The back office area was nearly dark, save for the light on her desk. Feeling satisfied that she completed all her work she began packing up her bag to go home, taking a few of the profiles with her to review. Her head snapped up when she heard a noise coming from a room down the hall. _Is that Brad's office? _She immediately thought back to what Jill had told her on Friday, "_he's been having these late-night meetings in his office with these strange looking men."_

Claire's curiosity got the better of her and she slowly crept up the hall toward Brad's door. The light from his office gave the hall an eerie glow as Claire realized the door was half-open. Holding her breath, she flattened herself against the wall and listened in.

"And that's all I need to provide?"

"That's all, Mr. Brad."

Claire let out a small gasp and quickly covered her mouth. She identified the new voice immediately. It was the voice of the large man from Friday night – the one who threw her into a brick wall! Her shock quickly turned to anger, her hand automatically grabbing at her side. _NO, no anger. I need to be in detective mode right now. What the hell is Brad doing with this guy?_ _What did the turtles call him – Hun?_

"Well, then – you have yourself a deal."

A chair scuffed along the bottom of the floor, indicating someone was getting up to leave. Claire grabbed her bag off the floor and quietly ran down the hall and out the gym's front door. Once outside, she put the hood from her jacket up on her head so that it covered most of her face and grabbed her newspaper from her bag. Leaning against the side of the building next door, away from the light, she buried her face in the newspaper and waited. She needed to make sure that it really was Hun in there. A few minutes had passed and the gym door finally opened. Claire peeked up from her paper. Her suspicions were confirmed – the man was indeed Hun and Brad was smiling and shaking his hand. _What the hell was Brad doing with this guy?_

* * *

"Dude, they were on a power play, Lundqvist didn't stand a chance." Casey Jones swung his bat at the Dragon, challenging him to step up.

"Are you kiddin' me? He was totally outta position." Raphael landed a mean punch on the jaw of another Dragon. "He shoulda had that one!" As the Dragon stumbled back, Raphael spun and kicked him in the stomach.

"Uh, guys, we are down one tonight; can we have less with the hockey talk and more of the fighting?" Leo hissed as he cut through a metal pipe with his katana. The Dragon now holding the half-sized pipe looked up at him in terror.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "You were the one who told Donnie to stay home and do his police hackin' thing. And dude, you seriously need to get laid or somethin'." Raph then shifted his eyes over to Mikey who was fiercely spinning his nunchaku. Mikey caught his look and the two nodded at one another. Mikey cleared his throat.

"By the way, just so everyone's on the same page," Mikey started as he struck his Dragon five swift times with the weapon, incapacitating him, "I have dibs on Claire."

Raph smirked. "Dibs? Mikey, what do ya mean?" he asked, playing along.

"Dude, I mean DIBS. Like, I have first go at her. You know, in case the dudette digs mutants or something." Mikey stood over his defeated Dragon and turned his head towards Leo, trying to gauge his reaction. "I mean, did you not see her in that dress? Her body was bangin'!"

"Well, you know what they say, Mikey," Raph chimed in, "once you go mutant, you never go back."

Leo said nothing, slid his katanas into their sheaths and unleashed a flash of hard-hitting attacks at his Dragon, ending with a thrusting kick that he landed so fiercely, the Dragon went flying into a fence nearly ten feet away.

Mikey and Raph shared a mischievous smile. "I mean, it's not like you're crushing on her or anything, right, ghostrider? I just want to check before I buzz the tower." Mikey caught Leo's glare with an innocent look, baby blue eyes gleaming.

"Crush? Mikey, I do not crush. **Ninjas** do not crush. Not only do we not have time for women, but she is a human and probably not attracted to us in the least." Leo nearly muttered the last part under his breath. Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a shell cell.

"Not attracted?! Bro, I am SO loveable." Mikey grinned, reaching into his pocket for the device. "It's probably Donnie. 'Michaelangelo, I am calling you on your communication device to inform you that I've found an intricate pattern in the Purple Dragon's activities'", Mikey imitated Donnie using the nerdiest voice he could manage.

Raph and Casey burst into laughter, leaving Leo frowning and shaking his head.

Mikey looked down at his shell cell, checking the number. "Well, well, speak of the devil," Mikey grinned, pretending to lick his fingers and slick imaginary hair back on his bald head, "Hey Claire, long time no speaky."

Leo and Raph's heads snapped up.

"Wait, wait, slow down, babe. This guy met with who?" Mikey's eyes widened as he listened. "She caught her boss in a meeting with Hun. They were making some kind of deal," he whispered away from the phone at his brothers. "Yea, definitely, no problem. Meet you there in twenty."

Mikey hung up the phone and looked up at Leo. "She wants us to meet up at her place so we can help her figure out her next move."

Leo considered this for a moment. They really were the only ones that she could talk to about this. Besides, it might lead them to valuable information about what the Purple Dragons were planning. "Alright," he finally said warily. "Let's head out."


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: This chapter has been edited for graphic sexual content to comply with FanFiction's policy. To read the Chapter in its entirety, please check the story out on AFF under Cartoons.**

_Tap, tap._

Claire's head popped up from the sink at the sudden sound and her eyes wandered over to her living room window. A figure dressed in an oversized, dark-colored hoodie and a pair of baggy pants was perched on her tiny balcony holding up a green, three-fingered hand in greeting. She finished drying the dish in her hand and strode over to the window, unlatching it. Looking up into the face of the figure, she caught a glimpse of a red bandana. Smiling, she opened the window, "Come on in, Raphael."

Raphael leapt from the balcony and somersaulted into her living room, landing on one knee. Pulling the hood off his head, he stood up and turned to Claire. "How's it goin'?"

"Well, I'm assuming Mikey told you about what happened tonight at work," she said nervously, biting her lip. Claire had spent the past hour replaying the conversation she overheard in her head and worrying about Brad. Hun was dangerous; somehow connected to the Purple Dragons and she knew that meant serious trouble.

Raphael's eyes wandered briefly to her mouth as she bit her lip and then back up to her worried expression. "Listen, we know a lot more 'bout the Purple Dragons than you do. We have history", he said gruffly. "Leo sent me over here ta bring you back to the lair. He thinks you should meet our Sensei so we can figure out what ta do."

Claire raised an eyebrow at him. She was hoping for a little guidance, not a full blown intervention. "I AM a big girl you know; I can figure something out myself. I was just hoping for a little advice", she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, RIGHT, just like the time ya figured out how to take on all those Purple Dragons on Delancey, or the time you took Hun down by yourse- Oh. Wait." Raphael returned her angry stare with a smug look.

After a long day at work and finding out that her friend was dealing with criminals, Claire was not in the mood. She advanced towards him and pointed a rigid finger against his hoodie, feeling his hard plastron underneath. She rose up on her tiptoes and looked up into his amber eyes – he stared back down at her with an amused look on his face. "Listen, **buddy**. You don't get to judge me. You don't even know me. And for the record, I banged Hun up pretty good." Mikey's words from Friday night popped into her head, _'you and Raph would seriously get along'. _If he was anything like her, she knew that challenging his courage would really piss him off. She continued, "I didn't see **you** there with Leonardo. What were you, too afraid?"

Raphael grabbed Claire's shoulders with a growl. "Listen, girly, I ain't here to fight with ya. The fact is that you can't take these guys down by yourself. You need help and that's where we come in." Claire remained silent, considering his words. She knew nothing about Hun or the Purple Dragons and really didn't have any other options. She scowled at him, "Fine. I will meet your Sensei and hear him out."

Raphael, still holding Claire by the shoulders, quickly spun her around in his hands, taking her by surprise. "You aren't wearin' **that** are you?" Raphael snorted as his eyes wandered down Claire's body to her black pencil skirt she still had on from the work day.

"I was planning on changing, so NO." Claire huffed, breaking away from his hold. "Why, do you have a problem with this?" She pointed down to her skirt.

"Not at all," he mumbled, eyeing her appreciatively. Claire rolled her eyes at him. "**But**, I brought my baby tonight." Raphael smirked at her. Despite the tension she felt between them, she was unable to contain her excitement and a huge grin appeared on her face.

* * *

It had been so long since Claire was on a bike; she had almost forgotten how much she loved riding. Allowing herself to enjoy the moment, she closed her eyes underneath the helmet Raphael had brought for her and tightened her grip on him as they sped through the city. Buildings and cars flashed by in a blur of color, the sound of the engine penetrating the night. They came to a red light and Raph shifted his weight, bringing a booted foot down to the pavement and a hand on his hip as the bike idled impatiently. Leaning forward, Claire yelled out to him, "Show me what she can do!" Raphael's helmeted head tilted slightly back towards her and he then leaned into the bike, gently revving the motor. "Woo!" Claire squealed in appreciation. She smiled as she felt that flicker in her stomach – the unexplainable feeling she would get doing something a little dangerous. She let the feeling take her over; forgetting about Grams' sickness, about Brad's criminal dealings. The excitement ran through her body from head to toe; she hadn't felt this way since that night with Brad in the warehouse.

Watching the light, Claire held her breath in anticipation. Claire's breath escaped her lips with a hiss as the light turned green and Raphael took off; bike fishtailing, tires squealing. He expertly weaved in and out of traffic, cutting street corners and side mirrors by inches. Claire felt her adrenaline build as he shifted gears, leaning left and right to maneuver through the busy streets. After a few minutes of this, she felt him slow the bike down as they pulled up to an old garage in a dark alleyway. She watched as he pressed a tiny, black button on the handlebar of the bike and the garage door opened. He pulled the bike inside and cut the engine as the door slowly closed behind them. A few fluorescent lights flickered on overhead and she kicked her leg up and around his shell, leaping off the bike. Pulling off her helmet, she turned towards Raphael who sat on the bike, staring into her bright, shining eyes. He gave her a huge grin.

"THAT- was excellent!" Claire proclaimed, running both hands through her hair to fluff it back up. He chuckled and slid off the bike, walking towards her. She handed him the helmet and he stowed both of them away in a steel locker. Raphael slid open a manhole cover on the floor of the garage. "It's about a ten minute walk to the lair from here." He paused before climbing in, his back towards Claire. "And – I'm glad ya had fun." He slowly turned to look at her, eyes unreadable.

"I think my bike was faster, though," Claire smiled slyly at him.

* * *

"Are you kiddin' me? Your bike wouldn't even touch mine", Raphael snorted. He pushed the button that opened the lair door and held it open for Claire. "I mean, I haven't even shown you the turbo on it for Christ's sake." They had been arguing the entire walk to the lair about whose bike was faster.

Claire walked through the entryway, and turned back around to Raphael as he pulled the door closed. "I'm pretty sure my Ducati would destroy your little **motorbike**. Even with your fancy turbo button." Claire couldn't help but smile at the conversation and was surprised to see Raphael smirking back at her.

"Yea, yea, I bet your bike was pink, too. With little bows and flowers painted on it, right?" he said mockingly. She gave him a gentle punch on his arm.

"Psh. Yea right. It was blacked-out, actually." Claire snorted at him.

"Yea? I can't picture you riding a big black –"

A loud choking sound interrupted their conversation as Leonardo appeared from the dojo. Eyes wide, he looked at Raph.

"We were talking about bikes, shell brain." Claire couldn't help but giggle; the ride had put her in a really good mood. Without even thinking, she closed the small distance between herself and Leo and gave him a hug.

"Oh – oh, hey….Claire", Leo managed to sputter out. He gently returned the hug patting her back once, throwing a look at Raphael over her shoulder. Raphael simply stared at Leo, eyebrow raised. He pulled back from the hug and gave her a serious look. "I wanted you to meet our father and Sensei – Master Splinter. Just tell him everything you told us. We've been fighting these guys for a while now and I think it would be beneficial to both of us if we work together on this."

Claire's smile faded and she nodded her head. _Way to ruin my buzz_, she thought darkly. "Just one thing," Leo's voice dropped to a whisper, "Master Splinter is….a rat." Claire's eyes widened. "Oh-oh okay. Thanks for the heads-up." With that, Leo turned to let his father know that Claire had arrived.

"I'll go round up the boys," Raph said. He walked over to the stairs and leapt up them, two at time, making his way towards the curtained bedrooms.

Finding herself alone, Claire decided to wander a bit. She eyed a Shoji screen door in the corner of the lair and walked up to it. Sliding it open, she found herself in a large workout area. A big blue mat took up most of the space and there were dozens of unlit candles around the perimeter of the room. Weapons lined the walls – everything from shurikens to katanas. _This must be where they train_, she thought to herself, running her hands along the cool, metal weapons. She pulled a wooden, practice sword from the wall and began swinging it around, nonchalantly.

"You must be Claire". The voice made Claire jump. She whipped around, katana in third stance, the tip of the weapon jutting out towards the owner of the voice. She gasped to find a giant rat in a faded, red kimono. Though his appearance was a bit disconcerting, she found his eyes to be kind. She gently placed the practice sword on the mat and bowed her head slightly, lowering her eyes. "And you must be Master Splinter. Pleased to meet you, sir." She glanced back up to see him flanked by two turtles on either side.

Master Splinter gestured to the middle of the dojo, "Please, let us sit and discuss."

Claire explained her two run-ins with the Purple Dragons in great detail and Donnie went over the information he found when he hacked into the police station mainframe. "There's a clear pattern," Donnie said holding up a map of the Lower East Side. There were three large, red circles on his map. "The circles indicate the areas where the Purple Dragon activity is highest."

Claire pointed at the map, "Hey, that's the Lower East Side Recreation Center! Some of the guys at work play flag football there."

Donnie nodded at Claire. "Yes, exactly. This second circle here is right near a Mixed Martial Arts training center. And this one here-" Donnie stopped to look at Claire.

"Is my gym…" Claire said in a low voice. _What does that mean? _she thought, brow furrowed.

"Excellent work, Donatello. So it appears the Purple Dragon activity is concentrated on areas where physical exertion occurs", Splinter contemplated.

"Yea, places where people go to get stronger, to work together, to compete", Raph added.

Donnie looked at Master Splinter. "Sounds like the perfect breeding ground for a gang."

"Yes, but the Purple Dragons have never operated in large numbers." Splinter fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Claire thought she would take advantage of the silence.

"Since we are all about the sharing of information," Claire said hesitantly, "I have to come clean with you – I think I sort of….ran into a trap that was set for you. It was a while back. Back when Brad and I were-", she paused and turned to Leo. She normally didn't care what other people thought about her, but for some reason, she really wanted Leonardo's respect. "Brad and I were kind of vigilantes. We sought out small-time criminals and took them down. We would call the police afterwards, anonymously, to let them know where we had left them."

Leo narrowed his eyes at Claire. "Why would you do something like that? That is extremely dangerous." He scowled, outwardly displaying his disapproval.

"For the fun of it?" Claire said meekly. "I know that sounds weird, but it gives me a rush; it feels like I'm meant to do that. Besides, I am trained, you know. I can handle it." She added, hoping that would bolster her case.

"Claire – I know exactly how ya feel," Raph said, nodding his head. "Anyway, how do ya know the trap was for us?"

"The guys we took down said something about big, ugly green freaks." Claire saw Mikey's shoulders slump. "But I don't think you guys are ugly or anything! I mean, your muscles are—wow." Claire felt herself flush.

"So, what are you saying, Claire? You only like me for my body!?" Mikey blurted out next to her, pouting. She laughed, thankful for Mikey's ability to ease awkward situations.

Splinter finally spoke again. "There is only one question that remains – do we think the Foot is involved?" Splinter mused, stroking his beard.

"I have already thought about that, Sensei, but the Foot disbanded after we defeated the demonic Shredder. Even if they were to return, it would take much time to amass any kind of power. Their numbers were severely depleted," Leo countered.

"I believe the best thing to do at this point is to keep an eye on Brad while you are at work. If you discover any useful information, please let us know. In the meantime, my sons will rotate the Mixed Martial Arts training center and the Lower East Side Recreation Center into the patrol routine," Splinter said, eyes on Claire.

Claire nodded her head. "Of course. In return, I would ask for permission to train with your sons. Their fighting skills are extremely impressive and I believe I could learn a lot from them. I am currently a black belt studying under Sensei Nakamura, so I already have martial arts experience", Claire replied politely.

Splinter gave her a small smile. "Yes, of course. Just go easy on them," he said, winking. He rose to leave and Claire and the turtles stood with him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Claire."

She bowed her head, "Likewise." He turned and walked out of the dojo, Mikey and Raph in tow.

Once his brothers were gone, Leo turned to Claire. "Are you any good with that?" he asked, eyeing the wooden katana on the floor next to Claire. Claire followed Leo's gaze, "Just a few basic stances and attacks."

"I can help you, you know. It's kind of my thing," he smiled and pointed at the katana sheaths on his shell.

"That would be great, actually. I know a few basic cut techniques, but I could really use some help with the advanced attacks." Claire smiled back. "Maybe tomorrow? I'd love to start tonight, but I really have to get back home."

"Then it's a date," Leo replied. Claire smirked at him. "Uh, I mean, I will see you tomorrow then," he quickly recovered. Claire laughed, "Sounds good to me."

She followed him out of the dojo and grabbed her cell phone to check the time. "Oh my god, Space Heroes is on!" Claire yelled. She ran into the living room and jumped on the couch, crashing into Mikey who was reading a comic book. "Whoa, babe! You almost took me out!"

"Sorry! But my favorite show is on," Claire said laughing. Raph, who had been doing push-ups near the TV glanced over at Claire and rolled his eyes. "Oh no, not you too!" he called out to her.

"Why, who else likes Space Heroes?" she asked.

"Mr. Fearless," he replied, nodding his head towards Leo who was making his way towards the couch. He sat in between Claire and the end of the couch, giving her a sheepish smile. The show's intro started playing and both Claire and Leo recited in time with the TV, "Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation-" Both of them stopped mid-sentence and stared at one another. Claire laughed loudly and put her hand on Leo's shoulder. "Glad to see someone else is as obsessed with Space Heroes as I am!" she exclaimed. Leo blushed a little at her touch, but laughed with her.

Five minutes into the episode, Raph appeared at her side. "So we leavin'? I thought you needed to get home?" he looked down at her, glowering. "I've got stuff to do, ya know."

"Alright, alright. It's not like I haven't seen this episode ten times already," she winked at Leo. He gave her a sexy, half-smile and she felt her stomach flutter. _What the? _Claire thought. _Did I just find that attractive? _She looked up at Raph, slightly jolted by the feeling. Raphael had his hand extended towards her. She grabbed it as he helped her off the couch.

"Say bye to Donnie for me!" Claire yelled to Leo and Mikey as her and Raph made their way to the lair door. Raph and Claire were quiet on the walk back to the garage. Trudging through the sewer tunnels, Claire thought back to Leo's smile and her reaction to it. She silently wrestled with her feelings, finally deciding to push the whole situation out of her mind. It was too confusing.

Claire suddenly smiling made Raph the first to speak, "What are ya so happy about?" he growled.

"I just remembered that we are riding the bike home," she grinned up at him.

* * *

The small black jet ascended into the night, leaving the New York City skyline behind. On board, a Japanese man in an expensive-looking business suit pulled out a silver cell phone. Staring out the window into the starless night, he put the phone to his ear.

"Yes, Mistress. That is correct; phase one of the operation is complete. The Purple Dragons have established recruiting sites throughout the city. No ma'am, contact with the turtles is a negative. Our original attempt was interrupted by civilians when the operation was launched seven months ago. However, we believe it is in our best interest to maintain distance with the turtles. The operation's secrecy has become the priority and we have no reason to believe the turtles are aware of our plan. We will be touching down in Tokyo in fourteen hours."

* * *

Claire opened her eyes, panting and confused. She stared up at the ceiling – **her** ceiling. She sat up in bed and looked around the room. She was in her apartment. _Holy shit_, she thought, flopping back down onto the bed, covering her eyes with her hand. That was the most sexually vivid dream she ever had. _Just a dream._


	6. Chapter 6

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

It was a cold and dreary morning. The sun had barely risen and the daily grind had already begun; the sidewalks crawling with city-goers. Claire rubbed her hands together and pulled on her brown plaid scarf, bundling it even closer to her neck as she made her way through the crowd of early morning commuters. She trudged up the steps from the subway station and walked half a block before arriving at the front door of the gym. She pulled out her ear buds that were piping in the latest Ke$ha song and took a peek at her phone. _Good, an hour early_, she thought happily. She unlocked the door, flipped on the lights and began peeling off layers of her outerwear as she slipped into the back offices. She set her bags down at her desk, and quietly tip-toed to Brad's office, hoping to do a little snooping before he got in. She stared at his door, feeling her stomach lurch at the possibilities of what she could find. _Was he in too deep? _She put her hand up to the doorknob, fingernails curling around the brassy fixture, and turned her wrist. She exhaled sharply; it was locked. _Damn_.

Shoulders slumped in disappointment, she walked back down the hall to her desk and flopped into the chair, tilting her head back, eyes closed. She couldn't help but think back to her dream from last night. It had been so incredibly vivid she had a hard time falling back asleep. Instead, she lay awake, contemplating every aspect of what it could mean. After much back and forth, she eventually came to terms with the fact that she was attracted to Leo. But was there anything she could do about it? _I mean, from a physical perspective, he is a giant turtle. Aren't turtles only attracted to other turtles? _Even if by some weird miracle, he liked her back, could a relationship even work?_ He can't be seen by anyone; it's not like he can take me to Central Park for a picnic on the weekend, _she thought bitterly_. _But the way Leonardo had touched her, made her feel in the dream; it wasn't just physical satisfaction she felt. It was the comfort she felt in his arms. _It might be worth trying_, she thought, opening her eyes.

She exhaled and glanced at her computer, forcing herself to push all thoughts of Leo from her mind and focus on the eight hours of work that lie ahead. Reaching down to her bag, she pulled out a few of the member profiles she had taken home with her. She picked up the first one and froze, coffee mug at her pink lips. She stared down at the picture; she had seen this guy before. _That night after the club! He was with the group of guys that attacked me. I knew he looked familiar! _She thought back to what Donnie said, '_Sounds like the perfect breeding ground for a gang.' _She gasped and covered her mouth when it hit her. _Brad has a deal with the Purple Dragons to provide them with manpower and give them a way to get stronger here in the gym. That explains the recent influx of new members. But what was in it for Brad? _

She pulled out her cell and sent a text to Mikey: _Brad is using the gym to recruit guys for PD. I'm coming over later tonight. Will talk more then._

Just then, the door opened, bringing in a burst of cold air and a very bundled individual. Claire looked up and watched the person unwrap a bright pink scarf from their face, setting loose a curtain of brown curls.

"Morning, Jill!" Claire toasted her mug of coffee towards her friend in the air.

_"_Hey girl, it is COLD out there! How's it going?" Jill threw her a big bright smile. Despite the dark thoughts swirling around in Claire's mind, she couldn't help but smile back. Jill's peppy spirit always put her in a good mood.

"You know, the usual." Claire took another swig of her coffee.

"I hear ya. Hey, I wanted to ask you: what are you doing on Saturday night? Club Blu is having a huge costume party for Halloween. We should totally go!"

Claire's eyes lit up. "I am so there. Halloween is my thing!"

An alert from her cell captured Claire's attention. As Jill made her way to her own office, Claire picked up the phone.

_Okay babe. Bring pizza!_

A smile crept onto Claire's face.

* * *

After work, Claire stopped by her grandmother's for a few hours of tea and chit-chat before heading to the lair. With all the weirdness that had infiltrated her life, spending time with Grams made Claire feel normal and grounded. "Love you, Grams," she threw a hug around her grandmother before heading out the door. Claire walked down the stoop steps and onto the city sidewalk, eyeing the streets for the nearest pizza place. As she turned the corner at the end of her grandmother's block, she pulled out her phone. "Hey, I am at the corner of Houston and Allen. Okay, see you soon." Claire put the phone back in her duffel bag and leaned up against a nearby building, bringing one black wedged boot up onto the brick behind her. Feeling sexually frustrated from last night, she replayed the dream in her mind. She could feel the heat rising from below her belly as she thought about Leo's tongue…

A sudden scraping sound jolted Claire from her thoughts. She watched the manhole cover slowly slide across the street. Looking around to be sure no one was watching, she walked over to the open manhole and tossed the pizza box inside. Strapping her duffel bag across her shoulder, she gripped the top of the ladder and climbed down. As she jumped off the last ladder rung, she turned around to see the turtle who was escorting her to the lair.

"Hey, Donnie," Claire said smiling.

"Hey Claire, how was your work day?" he asked quietly, returning the smile.

"Eh, you know. So, Mikey tell you about my text?"

"Yes. Great work, by the way. Mikey and I went to check out the MMA center tonight. I was able to successfully plant one of my spy bugs on the building," Donnie said excitedly.

Claire looked up at him as they trekked through the sewer tunnels. "Spy bugs?"

"Something I came up with a few months ago. They are essentially cameras that capture video and audio and transmit the information wirelessly to my computer. This way, we can hopefully discover if the training center is another recruiting station. If it is, the spy bug should also be able to give us a visual ID of the person at the center dealing with the Purple Dragons," he replied.

"Wow, that is way cool." Claire paused before speaking again. "Uh - hey, Donnie, can I ask you something? It might sound a little weird." Claire twirled the end of her hair, nervously.

"Sure, ask away", Donnie said, staring curiously at her.

"Are you guys attracted to humans at all?" Claire bit her lip, and looked up at him, anxious for his response. The look on his face made her add, "Just out of curiosity."

"I gather that you have never been in Raph's room. He has women from the WWE plastered all over his walls."

Claire nearly let out a sigh of relief and inwardly smiled. _Maybe there was a chance!_

* * *

Mikey was in complete control. Focusing on his target, he stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth in concentration.

"Yup, just that like – now cross the one piece over." Claire directed him.

"Man, I had no idea that braiding hair was so hard to do! Doesn't help that my fingers are like, as big as kielbasa."

Claire laughed as she held up her compact mirror in front of her face, watching Mikey attempt to braid her hair. Sighing, she put the mirror down. "I don't know what to do about this whole Brad thing. I mean, I know he's a good guy – he is just mixed up with the wrong people."

"Don't worry, dudette. We will figure it out. There! All done!" Mikey exclaimed.

Claire turned to Mikey, smiling at the prideful look on his face. Practically skipping with excitement, Mikey led her to the bathroom so she could take a good look at his work. She flicked the switch on and bit back a gasp when she saw her reflection in the cracked mirror. Her hair was a mess; half of it looked like a five year-old attempted to braid it and the other half was a big knotty mess. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. "Wow, Mikey – uh, great job. I love it." Claire forced herself to say.

"Spectacular! I knew you would!" Mikey pumped his fist into the air.

The two walked out of the bathroom and ran right into Raphael who had just rounded the corner.

"Holy crap, what da hell happened to you? What did ya get stuck in a wind tunnel or something?" Raphael blurted, eyes widened at Claire's head.

Claire glanced over at Mikey and watched him deflate. "As a matter of fact, **Raph**, Mikey braided my hair for training tonight. Don't you think it looks great?" She tried giving him a look to say 'just tell him good job'.

Raph understood Claire's look and snorted. "PLEASE. You call **that** a good job? Klunk could do a better job than that."

Claire turned to Mikey, "Don't worry. It's not bad for your first time, really! We will just keep working on it, okay?" She smiled and rubbed his arm encouragingly.

He puffed back up a bit and smiled back at her. "Sounds good, dudette." Klunk suddenly appeared at his feet, meowing. "Speak of the devil! Is it dinner time, Klunk? Have fun training, Claire! And remember, 'No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher.'"

Claire laughed and finished the line from The Karate Kid, "Teacher say, student do!"

Mikey grinned and scooped Klunk up in his arms, making his way to the kitchen. When Mikey was gone, Claire turned to Raph and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow, what da hell was that for!" Raph grabbed her arm and glared at her.

"You are so mean! He tried so hard!" Claire pulled her arm from his grasp and brought her hands up to her head, fingers searching for the hair tie.

"Mikey needs a little tough love sometimes. Just cause he's the baby of the group doesn't mean you gotta treat him that way." He watched her growl in frustration as she struggled to find the hair tie. "Here, turn around." He quickly spun her around and gently pulled his fingers through her hair.

She couldn't help but gasp and close her eyes; it damn near mirrored Leo's actions last night in her dream, the way Raph was tangling his fingers into her hair. She felt the heat rise again and helpless to the feeling, she took a step back, startling herself when she bumped into his plastron.

"Sorry," she muttered, thankful to have her back to him as she blushed furiously. _What is wrong with me? _

"Found it," he said, his voice a little more gravelly than usual. He handed the tie to her and Claire, with her back still turned, reached up by her shoulder to grab it.

"Thanks," she began smoothing her hair down and listened to Raph's footsteps as he walked away. Sighing, she threw her hair into a low ponytail and turned her gaze towards the Shoji doors; taking a deep breath before making her way towards them.

Claire entered the dojo to find Leo sitting cross-legged on the mat in a meditative state. "Evening, Claire," he simply said, eyes still closed.

"Hey Leo," Claire closed the door behind her. Taking advantage of the fact that his eyes were shut, she scanned her eyes over his body admiring the muscle tone. She walked over to him and he slowly opened his eyes, standing up. He grabbed two wooden katanas from the wall and smoothly handed one to Claire. Her hand brushed against his during the exchange and she felt her stomach flutter.

"I thought that tonight we could go over the Mizu Gaeshi technique." He took the katana in his right hand and steadied it in a basic stance. Claire did the same. Leo moved his sword slowly in the technique pattern and motioned for Claire to mimic him. She must not have been doing it correctly, because he dropped his katana and walked towards her.

"Here, more like this", he moved to stand behind her, and put one large, green hand on top of hers. He maneuvered the katana to perform the technique. Claire felt her heartbeat quicken at his touch. Unable to stop herself, she took her free hand and placed it on top of his. She spun around to face him and caught a glimpse of his surprised expression. She could only imagine what her eyes were telling him. The wooden sword they were both holding dropped to the floor, leaving his hand on top of hers. She tangled her fingers into it and ran her other hand up his plastron, feeling along the seams. She stared up at him and watched his chest rise and fall as his breathing quickened.

Just then, the dojo door whipped open with a _bang_ and Mikey peeked around the corner at Claire and Leo with wide, scared eyes. "Dude and dudette! We've gotta get out of here, now!" His voice was high pitched and it alarmed Claire. Leo instantly removed himself from Claire's grasp and slid in front of her in a protective position.

"Mikey, what's wrong? What's going on?!" Leo swiftly withdrew the katanas from his back and settled into a fighting stance.

"We've got to get out of here", Mikey reiterated and then paused with his tongue poking out of his mouth as if he was waiting for something, "Cause – THIS PLACE ABOUT TO BLOWWWW oh oh oh oh oh oh". As he giggled and ran off singing, Claire caught a glimpse of her iPod in Mikey's belt. It took her a second to realize what had just happened and she burst out laughing. She walked up to Leo chuckling, a huge grin on her face that quickly disappeared upon seeing him. His teeth were clenched and he looked like he was going to kill someone. "God, Leo, it was just a joke. Mikey must've stolen my iPod from my bag and he apparently really likes Kesh-" Her voice trailed off when Leo didn't respond. He let out a sigh of disgust and re-sheathed his weapons. She frowned at his reaction to the situation.

She moved in close to him and put her hands on his shoulders; kneading into them to try and ease him. She felt his body stiffen and he looked at her warily. "Leo, you are way too tense. You just need to relax a little." She began moving her hands away from his shoulders, working down his arms. She hesitated when she slid her hands over his wrist – _am I going too fast? _She took both of his hands in hers and smiled up at him. He finally returned the smile and sighed.

"Mikey knows better than to do something like that, especially while we are on high alert with the Purple Dragons," he said exasperatedly.

"Yea, you are right. But, I think you need a little break. You know what? Let's go to the movies. I mean besides patrolling, do you even go out? We can check out that new Sci-Fi movie!" Trying to gauge his reaction, Claire continued "Just you and me, you know, we are the only Sci-Fi nerds around here." She laughed awkwardly. "I promise it will be a blast!" She squeezed his hands and nodded her head, trying to convince him.

"A movie? Uh- I don't know if that is such a good idea, Claire. I really need to work on some of my katas and advanced attacks and with everything going on-"

"Excuses, excuses," Claire said rolling her eyes, "I've already decided; we are GOING. How about next Sunday?"

After a few moments of silence, Leo finally responded with a small smile, "Alright, fine."

* * *

Saturday night had finally rolled around and Claire was plain giddy. Just as she was getting her costume out for the party, her phone alerted her to a text message. She ran over to check and her face fell when she read it:

_My niece is super sick and I have to stay at home with her tonight. I am so sorry to cancel!_

Sighing, Claire picked up the phone and replied: _No worries, tell her I said to feel better._

She threw the phone onto her bed and sat next to it, feeling utterly downcast. Suddenly, an idea hit her. She wasn't sure if she could make it work, but she would try. She quickly grabbed the phone and scrolled to her favorites. She clicked on Raph's name and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, mind if I come over to hang tonight?"

* * *

Claire smiled up at Raphael and grabbed his hand, feeling a shiver of excitement. It was risky, but tonight was the one time they could ever pull this off. Marching to the front of the line, Raphael watched as Claire whispered something in the bouncer's ear. He simply nodded once and moved aside to let them in. Raph turned to look at his brother. Mikey had a huge, shit-eating grin on his face and had already started dancing to the music coming from within Club Blu.

Much to Claire's surprise, she had been able to convince Raphael to come with her. After the initial argument about being seen, she had reassured him that no one would think anything of it. She told him he would just look like he is in costume.

**_30 minutes earlier…_**

"I don't dance", Raph said angrily, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to!" Claire replied. "We can just go to relax and have a few drinks! Please? Halloween is my favorite holiday." She gave him the saddest look she could muster. At that moment, Mikey pounced out of his hiding spot.

"YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO A CLUB?!" he shouted.

"Shhhhhh", Claire frantically tried to shush him, looking around the lair. "Mikey, Leo would freak out if he knew. Let's just say it's our little secret." Claire winked at him, but Mikey wasn't giving up that easily. "Okay, babe. I won't say a word. Because the Turtle Titan is coming too!"

Now they were standing in the middle of the club, Claire in her Supergirl costume flanked by two turtles – one in a cape and mask and the other dressed as a professional wrestler. "You make a great Supergirl, Claire," Mikey said smiling, playing with her cape.

"Why don't you guys grab some drinks from the bar and meet me on the dance floor?" Claire patted Raphael on the shoulder and turned to walk through the crowd, dancing with a banana and a wolfman as she made her way towards the back of the club.

Claire was enjoying herself, only dancing for a few minutes when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She smiled, knowing that Raph had given in. _He's actually going to dance?_ She turned around with a smirk on her face that quickly melted into a look of terror.

"Hey honey, I've been lookin' for ya."

**_Hawk! _**

He grabbed her arm and began to drag her towards the back of the club. It took Claire a moment to react, but she began fighting against him. Immediately, she was flanked by three other men. Realizing she was overpowered, she swung her head around, desperately searching for the guys. "RAPH!' she tried yelling above the music, but it was no use. There was no way he could hear her. They led her to a door in the back of the club that was being guarded by two huge men. They nodded at Hawk and opened the door. The men pulled Claire through and she gasped. Sitting at a massive desk was Hun. _Was this the Purple Dragon's headquarters?_ He looked up at her and gave her an evil smile, running a finger over the bandage on his face. Sitting to his right was Brad. "Brad?!" Claire's eyes widened. Hun nodded towards the men holding onto her and they released her. She rubbed her shoulder where Hawk's hand had been; he had gripped her hard enough to bruise her. "Brad, what the fuck is going on? What are you doing with this guy? He attacked me – tried to kill me!" She probably sounded hysterical, but she didn't care.

"I know, Claire, I know. It was a mistake. He didn't know who you were." He walked over to her and gently ran his hand through her hair. "You look amazing, by the way," he whispered in her ear. Claire blinked at him. "You see", he continued, "We want you to join us. I told the Purple Dragons all about you, all about what we did together. You are a fierce, SMART fighter and we could really use you in our operation." He chuckled, "I know they experienced your skill first-hand. I want you to join the Purple Dragons and be a team leader with me." Claire bit back a scream.

"Brad! Why would you get involved with them? They are dangerous! This isn't you and me running around at night, playing vigilante. This is organized crime." Claire put a hand gently on his arm, hoping to pull him out of it.

Brad's eyes softened at Claire's touch for only a moment before he angrily spat out, "I never told you, but I am over a year behind on rent. I was so close to losing the gym; everything I worked for! The Purple Dragons agreed to pay for the gym, in full, if I help them. Claire, the gym is my life, it is all I have," Brad brought his hand to gently glide over her face, his eyes solemn. "Don't you see? I can take care of you and we can be together; fight together, again."

"Yea? And what if you get caught? Go to jail? How much will the gym matter then?!" Claire pulled away from him and ran towards the door knowing she wouldn't be able to get through to him surrounded by Purple Dragons. A few men moved to block it and Claire brought her fists up. "Try it, I dare you," she said through gritted teeth.

Brad groaned and followed it up with a chuckle, "Do you know how cute you are when you are angry?"

A loud noise outside the door followed by muffled cries caught everyone's attention. Claire watched as Hun rose up from his desk and stalked over to the door.

* * *

Raphael made his way over to the bar, admiring the girls in skimpy costumes that left nothing to the imagination. He put the order in with the bartender and turned to survey the dance floor. He spotted Claire immediately; she stood out from everyone with her shiny blond hair and bright colored costume. She looked so happy, laughing with a wolfman as she made her way to an open spot towards the back of the dance floor. The drinks were served up and Raphael reached for the shot, throwing it back before tossing a ten dollar bill onto the bar top. He picked up the mixed drink and turned back around to the dance floor to deliver it to Claire. He scowled when he thought about how she would try to convince him to dance with her. He didn't know how he was going to say no.

His attention was shifted to his brother who had a crowd gathering around to watch him break-dance. Raphael smirked, allowing Mikey to enjoy the rare spotlight. _What a goon_, he chuckled to himself. He scanned the floor, searching for Claire. He narrowed his eyes when he couldn't find her; he had sworn she was dancing with that banana. Growling, he stormed towards Mikey, grabbing his cape and pulling him away from the crowd.

"Not cool, dude!" Mikey yelled at his brother. "Ladies and gentlemen, the danceinator will be back!" he yelled to his fans in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation.

"Mikey, do you see Claire? I can't find her." They moved deeper into the mob of costumed dancers.

As Raphael neared the back of the club, it hit him; her scent. He honed in on it and followed it around the corner to find two men guarding a door. He knew Claire was inside; against her will. His anger boiled up thinking about that. "Mikey, it's go time," he pulled his sais out from under his Hulk Hogan costume.

They charged the guards who cried out as they were knocked unconscious, the body of one slumping up against the door. Mikey rolled the guard to the side and Raphael kicked through the door with a powerful thrust of his leg.

* * *

Claire gasped and covered her head to protect herself as shards of wood flew through the air. Relief flooded her veins upon seeing her friends. "Raph! Mikey!" she cried out to them. Mikey charged forward to Brad while Raph and Hun circled one another. Mikey was so quick you couldn't predict his movements. He threw a nunchaku out at Brad, catching him in the face. Brad laughed, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Claire, baby, how did you get tangled up with these freaks? Hun told me all about them." Raph let out a ferocious growl, easily tossing two men at Hun to knock him down. He stalked past Claire and she caught a glimpse of the fire in his eyes.

"Let it go, mutant!" Brad yelled at Raphael. "You think she would be with you when she could have someone like me?" It took everything in Raphael to not pierce Brad's throat with his sai.

One of the Purple Dragons in the room attempted to attack Raphael from behind, but Claire lined him up for a roundhouse kick and followed it up with a knee to his head. She turned back around, but was met with a fist. Claire fell back a bit, grabbing her jaw. Brad was instantly at her side and rushed the man who hit her, sending him flying to the ground. She took the opportunity to look around- there were too many Dragons and they were in such tight quarters. _How would they get out of this?_

"Mikey, NOW!" she heard Raphael shout. There was a sudden explosion of smoke in the air and she covered her mouth to avoid breathing it in. A pair of strong arms pulled her body backwards. Grabbing the hand that was wrapped around her, she began running. Claire, Raph and Mikey ran out of the back room and through an emergency exit.

* * *

Claire limped through the lair door. It had been a long night and she was absolutely exhausted. Her leg was a bit banged up from the knee she delivered and she could feel a bruise forming on her chin where the Purple Dragon had caught her. It was dark and quiet. _Good_, Claire thought, _the others must be sleeping. _The last thing she wanted was for the three of them to be seen in their current condition. She felt her way to the couch and sat down with a small groan. A light suddenly flickered on, startling her. She had unknowingly sat next to Leo who had been waiting for them in the dark.

"And where were the three of you tonight?" Leo quietly asked. He looked Claire over, paying particular attention to her costume. _Oh shit_, Claire thought.

"Hey, bro! We were just uh, doing some patrolling. No biggie!" Mikey tried covering for them, but he was a horrible liar. Leo turned to look at Claire. She couldn't bring herself to lie to him, but she did not want him to know the truth. She decided to remain quiet. Leo reached his hand out to touch the bruise on her face. She winced at the slight pressure and he sighed.

She looked up to Raph, hoping he would spill first, but he and Mikey had vanished. _Oh great! I've got to be the one to tell him now._ "Leo, we uh, sort of ran into Hun and the Purple Dragons." She looked up at him for a reaction, but there was none. "Brad was with them," she said sadly. "Mikey threw a smoke bomb so we could escape; there were too many guys. We were surrounded."

"How did you run into them?" Leo asked quietly, eyeing her costume again.

Claire sighed, deciding to come clean. "I asked Raph to come to a costume party with me and Mikey tagged along. I figured it would be okay since everyone there would be in costume. And it was fine at first! Until I realized Club Blu is actually where the Purple Dragons are headquartered. Brad told me that the only reason he is dealing with the Purple Dragons is because he owes money on the gym. But we can help him, right? I mean, there's got to be another way. We need to do something," Claire said to him, the desperation clear in her voice. Leo didn't reply. "Did you hear what I just said, Leo? He's a good person, he's just a little lost right now. He needs our help!" Claire stood up from the couch and he stood with her.

Leo was stoic, staring at her with his arms crossed; no emotion on his face. "No, Claire. If tonight told us anything," he gently fingered the bruise on her face, "he's just too far gone. The Purple Dragons have complete control over him."

"God, Leo, are you like a robot? Do you feel anything?" Claire barked at him. She could feel the anger push its way into her throat. Leo stood, unwavering, simply staring back at Claire. She wanted to see how far she could push him. She brought her arm up to his shoulder and nudged him, gently. When that elicited no reaction, she shoved him as hard as she could.

He stumbled back a bit, his brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing?!" he yelled at her.

She remained silent, and threw the dojo door open, making her way to the weapons. She stopped in front of the wooden practice katana and pulled it from the wall.

Leo followed her, "Claire, stop it. This is ridiculous." He watched her cautiously, calculating his next move. She began to walk towards him aggressively, the wooden blade dragging along the dojo floor. Claire had no intention of hurting him; she just needed Leo to show her some emotion. She raised the katana and he quickly disarmed her by kicking the weapon out of her hand. She growled in frustration and attempted to sweep his leg. Leo back flipped to avoid the maneuver and he put his hands up. "Claire, I am NOT fighting you."

"Oh, yes you are," she simply responded, teeth gritted. She attacked him with a few roundhouse punches that he easily dodged. When that failed, she began throwing kicks at him. It was working, he was growing visibly angry. Leo's blocks became harder and harder, almost pushing back on Claire. "You want to see some emotion. FINE!" He picked up a small table to his right that had a cup of tea on it and threw it across the room, sending the hot liquid flying through the air. For the first time, Claire was a little frightened by Leo; he had a wild look in his eyes. Stunned by his reaction, she hesitated before kicking out at him again. Leo took advantage of this by grabbing at her leg in the air and rushing towards her, sending her down hard, back first onto the mat. Landing on top of her, he pinned her body down between his legs and took her face in his hands. Panting heavily, he stared into her eyes and without warning, pressed his lips to hers.

Claire's eyes grew wide as he deepened the kiss and she felt herself melt into him. Before she could even process what was happening, she returned his kiss, running her hands along the front of his body, feeling along the scratches and nicks in his plastron. She groaned into his mouth and felt her body quiver underneath him.

Leo quickly pulled away and stood up. "I-I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me." His head was bowed and he stood there silently for a moment. Claire pulled herself up her elbows; she was speechless. He turned and left the dojo, leaving a stunned Claire on the dojo floor.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended.**_

Leonardo kneeled down to light a few candles. He shook out the match and took a seat on his bedroom floor. _What was I thinking?_ He sighed, feeling a light blush on his face as his mind drifted back to the night he kissed Claire. _That's the point, Leo_, he told himself. _You weren't thinking._ Since meeting Claire, he found his actions to be unpredictable; even reckless. As leader of his clan, he needed to re-focus himself. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, putting his mind at ease through meditation. As much as he liked Claire – and he truly did – he needed to get his priorities in order. Keeping his family safe was the most important thing to him; everything else came second. He played this thought over and over in his mind, trying to drown out the small voice inside that screamed for Claire. He feared it would never go away; he feared that it would win.

* * *

Claire hadn't been sure about going in to work the next week after the incident with Brad and the Purple Dragons at Club Blu. When she brought it up to the guys, they had been dead set against it; they didn't want Claire near anything to do with Hun. But Claire needed the money. _It's not like anything will happen in front of a gym full of people. Besides, Brad wouldn't do anything to hurt me – he took down that Dragon back in the club for me._ Her heart broke a little at the thought. Could she help him out of this mess? She finally decided to go into work, being sure to arrive a little late in the morning so the gym was full and leave a little early so she wasn't alone at night - just in case. Brad didn't make any attempt to talk to her; in fact, he rarely came out of his office.

Claire had gone to the lair every night that week. She was exhausted on the days she also had karate class, but she was determined to be a better fighter. Besides, she enjoyed spending time with the guys. Well, all but one: Leo had avoided her the entire week. He would barely even look at her. She mostly trained with Raph, learning a lot of useful techniques for close, hand-to-hand combat. On Thursday night, Claire couldn't take it anymore; she decided to confront Leo. Her training session that night with Raph had been brutal; he made her quickly discover that her upper body strength was seriously lacking. Wiping the sweat off her forehead with a towel, she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. She twisted off the cap and took a swig, glancing up at the bedrooms on the second floor. When she came over to train, Leo would use his bedroom to meditate.

Claire tossed the towel into her bag and hesitantly made her way up the stairs. She thought back to Saturday when he kissed her. _That must mean he feels something for me too, right?_ She reached the curtain leading to his room, fingers lingering on the fabric. She took a deep breath and slowly drew the curtain aside. "Leo?"

The light was off in the room and he was sitting on the floor, his body glowing in the candlelight. "Claire," he softly replied. He stood up and walked a few steps towards her.

"I uh- just thought we should talk. You know, about what happened last week." She shifted her eyes to floor. _What if it was a mistake and he really doesn't like me?_

He sighed, "I know, I apologize. After thinking about what could've happened to you and my brothers at the club and then your reaction to Brad – I was just caught a little off-guard." He glanced down at the floor and hesitated before speaking again, "I promise, it will never happen again." He looked up at her, resolve in his eyes.

She closed the distance between them and put a gentle hand bravely on his shoulder. "Leo, who said I didn't want it to happen again?"

His eyes grew wide, "Wha-what? But I thought, I- just," he stammered.

Claire quickly brought her lips to his cheek to quiet him. He grew silent as she moved her hand from his shoulder down across the plates on his chest. He drew in a shaky breath and stared down at her, in amazement.

"But I am this hideous monster. And you – you are beautiful, Claire. How could **you** like **me**?"

His words tugged at Claire's heart. "Leo, you make me feel something I have never felt before with a man. You make me feel safe." She hesitated. "And I don't even know if this is something you are willing to do, but I want to explore the possibility of a relationship." She blushed a bit at the last part. She was not used to pursuing the opposite sex; it was usually the other way around. But there was a first time for everything and Leo was worth it. Her hopeful eyes bore into his.

Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "Is this really happening right now?" he softly muttered. "Claire," he put both hands on her arms, "ever since that first night I saw you, I've been thinking about you. I can't get you out of my head. What you are saying to me, right now, is something I could only dream about. But a relationship takes serious commitment. And what my brothers and I do – we can't afford to endanger anyone's life. It's a sacrifice we must make. I-I am not sure I can do that with being the leader and-"

Claire smiled at how honorable he was and rose up to her tip-toes to softly drag her lips across his, interrupting his thought. Part of her wanted to respect what he was saying, but she was falling for him too hard. She stared into his wide, conflicted eyes. After a few moments they softened and he swiftly drew her in close, running his hands up and down her back. Leo reached for Claire's ponytail and pulled it around to rest on her shoulder. He leaned his head in to nuzzle his nose into her locks, drawing in a deep breath. Claire felt her stomach flutter as he brought his wide tongue out of his mouth and slowly dragged it across her shoulder, licking at the perspiration from her training session. She knew if she let it go any further, she wouldn't make it out of his bedroom until the next morning. Smiling, she pulled away and looked up at him, cheeks flushed. "So are we still on for our Sunday night movie?"

Leo gave her his sexy half smile and brought her hand up to his face. He gently kissed it, "I'll pick you up at seven."

* * *

Claire was fussing with herself in the mirror for the hundredth time. She wanted to look perfect for her date with Leo. She chuckled at herself when she realized it was the first time she actually felt excited about a date. Glancing at her reflection, she nodded approvingly at the outfit she had finally decided on. She wanted to look sexy, but remain casual; it was only a movie after all. The skinny jeans accented her long legs perfectly and the green, sparkly, off-the-shoulder top complimented her blonde hair. She slipped her feet into a pair of black heels and ran a finger over her pink lips, applying a bit of gloss.

A knock at the door sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. She grabbed her purse and half-ran to the door, stopping to compose herself before turning the knob. She threw it open and couldn't help but smile at Leo's disguise. He was wearing a large, oversized khaki-colored trench coat that covered the shape of his shell; a big brown fedora hid his face. "Hey, stranger", she said happily.

"Claire," Leo said breathlessly. "You look amazing. I have to say: green is your color," he smiled and reached an arm out to her.

She hooked her arm around his and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Like a true gentleman, Leo let Claire pick the movie. She decided on the new sci-fi flick she told him about - it would be perfect. They purchased the tickets and sat down in the top row of the nearly empty movie theatre. Leo had a little difficulty fitting into the seat comfortably with his shell, so Claire lifted up the seat arm in between them. "There we go," she said, eyes sparkling.

Claire was barely concentrating on the movie. She couldn't help but feel extremely aware of Leo's body sitting next to hers. She heard the air conditioning kick on and it sent a shiver through her. In her fuss of planning the outfit, she forgot to bring a coat. She froze as she felt Leo shift closer towards her, rubbing her arm gently. His hands were so warm she instinctively leaned into his touch, brushing a leg up against him. There it was again – that electricity. She felt it every time they touched; like their bodies had this supernatural reaction to one another. She knew Leo felt it too, because she heard him hiss. He turned to look at her, his eyes intense. Allowing her body to just react, she slid over next to him, closing the small space between their seats. Turning her body sideways, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She put her head underneath the brim of his fedora, her face practically touching his and planted a small kiss on his beak. He groaned softly and grabbed both of her legs with one large hand, swinging them up onto his lap. She let out a surprised gasp at the sudden loss of control over her body. Thankful for the lack of movie-goers in the theatre, she swung a leg around his lap so she was straddling him. She lifted the hat up a bit and held his face in her hands. She looked into his carnal eyes and was instantly reminded of her dream; it was the same look he had given her. This drove Claire completely off the edge and she hungrily brought her lips to his. He responded just as fierce to her kiss and brought his hands up onto her thighs, kneading them softly. After a few minutes went by, Claire finally broke the kiss, gasping for air. "I'm sorry, I am making you miss the movie," she whispered to him as she moved back into her seat.

Leo smirked at her, "Trust me; this is much better than the movie."

She smiled, taking his hand in hers. They watched the rest of the movie this way, fingers interlocked. When the credits finally rolled, Claire felt a feeling of disappointment; her night with Leo was about to end. They walked out of the theatre, hands still intertwined, and headed to the lair. She turned to look up at him, "I had a really good time tonight. Thank you, Leo."

"Me too," he softly replied, bringing his free hand to caress her face.

Claire wanted nothing more than to end the date in Leo's bed. But what she felt with Leo was different; she couldn't treat this like a date with any other guy. Leo was special. When they reached the entrance to the sewer, Leo swept Claire up into his arms, carrying her the whole way to the lair. He insisted it was because she was wearing heels, but Claire had the feeling that Leo just wanted to be touching her. She wasn't complaining.

Setting her down, Leo reached for the button to open the lair door. Claire smiled when she felt the warmth coming from within and walked inside. Leo shut the door behind them and she looked up at him dreamily. _What a perfect night_, she thought. She turned around to see if anyone else was up; maybe Mikey would be down for playing some video games.

Claire's heart stopped when she saw Mikey on the couch. Something was wrong; his color looked off and his breathing was ragged. Donatello was kneeling beside him, patting his head with a cloth. Leo rushed forward, nearly knocking Claire over. "What happened?!" He looked up at Raph who stood over Mikey; amber eyes concerned.

"We were patrollin'. Checkin' out that MMA center that Donnie planted his bug at." He put a hand on Mikey's chest plates. "Hun was there with almost fifty guys. We couldn't take 'em on our own. We were lucky to have gotten out at all."

"This should never have happened. It wouldn't have happened if .." Leo's voice trailed off and Raph's eyes followed Leo as he paced around the room. Leo let out a frustrated cry and kicked the table next to the couch, breaking it cleanly in half. Claire jumped, eyes wide as she watched Leo move around erratically. The sight of his wounded brother had set him off and all his reservations about his relationship with Claire came pouring out. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry Claire, but I just can't do this. I abandoned my duties for one night and look what happened!" He pointed over to Mikey, pain in his eyes. Leo dropped down to one knee, head bowed in defeat. Claire was speechless; she simply stood staring down at him. Leo reached out and took her hand. "Claire, I'm the leader. My brothers look up to me; they expect me to do the right thing all the time. It is my burden. I care for you – more than you know. I could have only dreamed for someone like you to be in my life. But at the end of the day, my duties as leader; as a brother, will always come first. I'm so sorry. I can never give you what you want; what you deserve." His voice caught in his throat at the last words.

"But," Claire blinked as her chest grew tight, "We have a connection," she said, warily looking into his eyes. "I know you can feel it."

Claire felt her stomach hit the floor. It was the first time she had ever truly opened her heart to any man. The first time she let her walls down, allowing someone else in.

It would be the last.

Fighting back tears, she stood there, stunned. _So this is what heartbreak feels like_, she thought bitterly. Claire feigned indifference, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. "Alright, Leo, I understand. Your brothers mean the world to you; I respect your decision." Inside, her heart was shattering.

Donatello worked quietly on Mikey, head down and eyes focused. He shifted uncomfortably being witness to the conversation taking place.

Raphael stepped in between Leo and Claire. "Hold on a second, Leo. It wasn't ya fault. It was supposed to be a simple gig: check on Donnie's bug, survey the area and leave. No one coulda known Hun would be there. It coulda happened any night. Besides, Donnie said Mikey will be fine. Probably just got knocked out." Raph put his hand on Leo's arm reassuringly.

"Exactly Raph. It could've happened any night. But it didn't. It happened tonight, when I wasn't around to help." He turned to Claire, grimacing. "I-I don't want this to affect you training with us or coming to the lair to just spend time with us. You are a really good friend, Claire. I – we like being around you."

The pain disappeared as quickly as it came. She felt her emotions shift as she allowed the old Claire to kick in. The Claire that didn't care about how a guy felt. The Claire that didn't want a relationship. The emotionally hardened Claire.

"It's fine, Leo," she said, turning away from him. She couldn't even look at him. "I know what you need to do." She hesitated, "Donnie, will Mikey be OK?"

"Yes. I think he might have a concussion, but he just needs to rest for a while. He will be back to normal in no time," he said convincingly.

"Good," Claire replied her voice steady, back still turned to the group. "Well, it's late. I'd better get home," she began walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Leo yelled. "At least let one of us walk you home." Claire heard the anxiety in his voice.

"Yah, I can give you a ride on the bike," Raph said quickly.

Claire snorted. "No thanks. I'll be fine on my own. Donnie, we still good for that knife-throwing lesson tomorrow?"

"Of course," he responded.

Claire simply nodded her head and walked out of the lair.

Claire was so angry at herself. Angry for letting the walls she had up for years to come down. Angry for putting herself in such a vulnerable position. She slammed her apartment door shut and threw her purse across the room. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. _Suppress, control, redirect_. She closed her eyes and repeated it. _Suppress, control, redirect_. Sighing, she stripped out of her clothes and threw a comfy pair of sweats and tank top on. She fired up her laptop figuring she could put her energy to use by getting some work done.

She had almost cried back in the lair. _How unlike me_, Claire thought indignantly. _No, no man will ever be the reason why I cry_. Claire slammed the laptop closed; she couldn't concentrate. Instead, she opted for going to bed. _I will just sleep it off and forget the whole thing happened._ Brown eyes closed, and Claire fell into a fitful sleep; tossing and turning as nightmares of Mikey losing an arm in battle invaded her sleep.

* * *

A very small part of Claire hoped that Leo would change his mind, but as the weeks went by, that tiny voice quickly became silenced. Even during her katana lessons, Leo managed to avoid physical contact with her, withdrawing to his room when the lesson ended. She eventually managed to stifle her feelings for Leo, but she had a feeling they would never really go away.

Claire stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and glanced at the clock on her laptop. _Eight thirty?!_ She sighed and rubbed her eyes trying to will away the exhaustion. Since she had started training with the turtles, she had been getting a little behind on work. Late nights catching up on work at home became routine. It was all becoming blurred days of work, karate, training, sleep and repeat. On a few lucky nights, the guys would let her tag along on patrol. Claire suspected that they allowed her to go on slow nights, when they knew the streets would be quiet. Even if that was the case, Claire could care less. She felt important on those nights; like she was fulfilling her purpose. It reminded her of the vigilante days with Brad. _Brad_, she thought. Claire shook her head. _Focus_, she silently demanded. Turning her attention back to the computer screen, she put the finishing touches on her work for a new client and hit 'Print'.

Her cell phone rang and she smiled before grabbing it. _Probably Mikey asking me to bring pizza over again for an after-training snack_, she thought. She picked it up and frowned when looking at the screen. It was a number she didn't recognize.

"Hi, this is Claire."

"Hello, is this Ms. Claire White?"

"Yes, this is she. How can I help you?"

"Ms. White, this is Dr. Parker at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. We have admitted your grandmother with a very serious stomach infection. We are going to be performing surgery on her in the next few hours." Time stopped and Claire's heart hit the floor. She clenched her teeth and tried to suffocate the emotions that were bubbling up.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes." She hit 'End' on her phone and stared at it for a second. She had been so focused on work and training, she hadn't gotten around to visiting her grandmother as much as she should have. Grabbing her coat, she ran out of her apartment; flying down the stairs to the first floor. She was barely aware of her movements – it felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Horrible thoughts began to invade her mind. _Oh god, if something happens to her…_Claire let out a panicked cry. Throwing the front door open, she ran towards the street faster than she ever had in her life. She waved her arms around in the air, desperately trying to hail a cab. As the car pulled to the curb, she flung open the door and threw herself inside. "Mount Sinai and hurry, please!" she screeched. She barely recognized her own voice. The cab took off down the street and Claire looked down at her phone. She wasn't even sure what she was doing at this point; she felt so out of control and frightened. _Leo_, she thought. _Leo will know what to do_. She reached for the phone and scrolled to her favorites. She hit the Call button and listened to the ringing on the other end.

"Claire?" Leo's surprised voice came through from the other end. A small part of her realized he sounded surprised because she didn't call him anymore. When she did call the guys, she usually only spoke to Mikey or Raph.

"Leo – "she started, but her voice cracked and she let out a sob. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth to stop any other sounds from escaping.

"Claire, where are you – are you okay? What's wrong?" his strong, authoritative voice comforted her for only a second before she thought of what she was about to tell him.

"Leo, it – it's my grandmother. She's been admitted to the hospital." She drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her voice but it was no use. "The doctor called me – they are going to be performing surgery on her. I'm on my way to Mount Sinai now." The reality of the situation began to creep in. Why did she even call him? It wasn't like they could come to the hospital and be with her.

"Claire, you just stay strong. Everything will be okay. We will wait outside for you." Claire could hear the alarm in Leo's voice.

"Kay" she whispered. She hung up the phone and looked out of the cab window. They had just pulled up to the hospital.

* * *

Leo clicked the shell cell shut and turned to look at his brothers who were staring intently at him. He ran one hand over his bald head, "It was Claire. Her grandmother is in the hospital and she is on her way to see her." He looked at Raphael. "She is pretty shaken up."  
Raphael clenched his fists. "So what are we standing around here for?"

* * *

Claire half-ran out of the hospital exit. She just needed to be as far away from this as possible. It was too much to accept. _"The stomach infection took a turn for the worse. We were able to perform the surgery, but there was nothing we could do. It was too late; she's gone."_

_"It was too late." "She's gone." _

The doctor's words rang in her ears as she ran down 3rd Avenue. A shadow on the rooftop of a nearby building caught her attention. A shadow that would've been ignored by the ordinary city-goer; Claire knew better. _The guys_, she thought. Who knows how long they had been outside of the hospital waiting for her. Her insides warmed a bit at the thought before the image of her fragile grandmother lying cold in the hospital bed assaulted her mind. Stifling a sob, she turned off 3rd into a poorly-lit alleyway. Four concerned pairs of eyes met hers. She had never felt so helpless before in her life. Staring down at the sidewalk, her eyes were drawn to an old piece of discarded gum. She kept her attention on the gum while she spoke.

"Hey." Claire suddenly became hyper-aware of herself – her voice, her body movements. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and shivered. Mikey was the first to move – he stepped forward and took her hand. She looked down at the large, warm green hand and covered it gently with her free hand. She looked up at Mikey and he gave her a warm smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. They were full of concern. She heard a scraping sound and turned to see Donnie lifting the manhole cover. Unmoving, she watched as Raph and Leo silently lowered themselves into the sewer. She blinked at Donnie. Donnie threw a look at Mikey and gracefully backflipped into the hole.

"Come on, babe." Mikey's voice was almost at a whisper. She nodded and followed him towards the sewer entrance. He began climbing down the ladder and when he hit the fifth rung, he reached his arms up to Claire. She grabbed his hands and let him guide her underground. This was where she needed to be: away from the hospital, away from the sounds of the city, away from everything. She needed silence; darkness. Her foot came off the final rung and hit the ground with a small splash. The group began moving through the sewer system. Claire knew that they were at least twenty minutes from the lair. Donnie and Mikey trailed behind her while Raph and Leo led the way. No one said a word. It was almost eerie – just the echo of their footsteps bouncing off the sewer walls and the occasional splash of water when someone sloshed through a puddle. Claire tried to focus on these sounds and nothing else, but it was hopeless. She began to think about life without her grandmother. Her grandmother was her rock, her biggest supporter – she had always stood by her even when she was constantly in trouble at school. How would she survive without her?

It had started as a small sniffle – Claire allowed herself to quietly cry as she couldn't contain her feelings anymore. Before she knew it, her sniffles had escalated to loud, frequent sobs. The two turtles in front of her began to blur as the tears streaked down her face. She started gasping for breath and leaned against the sewer wall to steady herself. She barely registered the strong, muscular arms lifting her up, cradling her like a baby. The arms snaked under her thighs and she was hoisted up into the air. Claire wrapped her arms around a neck and continued to sob as the group began moving again in silence. Soon, her sobbing subsided to sniffles. When Claire felt that she could cry no more, she looked up at the turtle that had scooped her up. Running her finger over the blue bandana tails that had fallen over his shoulder, Claire looked up into Leo's eyes. They were steady, unwavering and full of determination. He looked straight ahead, not meeting her gaze. She let out a shaky breath and nestled the side of her face into his neck. She felt him briefly tense, but then he pulled her body in even closer to his plastron.

Claire closed her eyes and listened to the sound of their footsteps. They were her family too and she felt grateful in this moment that they were here for her. Claire opened her eyes when she heard the familiar creak of the lair door opening. She was carried into the warmth of the lair, the scent of jasmine permeating the air. She watched as Donatello and Michaelangelo made their way to Splinter's room, undoubtedly to let him know they had arrived safely at home. Leo lowered her down onto the couch in the living area and followed his two brothers. Raphael watched Leo disappear from view and then turned to Claire lying down on the couch. He usually didn't do well with crying. She stared at him for a moment and then reached her hand out towards him. "Raph…" she squeaked. He sighed and kneeled down beside the couch. "It's gonna be okay, Claire." He said, taking her head in his hand, gently rubbing his thumb across her cheek.

She squeezed her eyes shut and her body shivered. She vaguely felt a soft blanket being thrown over her; a calloused hand brushing gentle fingers over her bare shoulder. Eyes still closed, she turned away from him hoping the darkness would consume her.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

**_A/N: The unedited chapter (rated for graphic sexual content) can be found at AFF under "Cartoons"._**

It had been the most difficult week of Claire's life. She buried her grandmother; something she had always feared doing. It was worse than she could have ever imagined it. The funeral had a very small turn-out; her grandmother didn't have many friends and Claire's family was sparse. Jill, along with a few other trainers, was there to support her. To Claire's surprise, Brad had also come to pay his respects. He didn't say a word; simply took his turn kneeling at the casket, hugged Claire and left. Claire didn't have the energy to process what that meant. She didn't even really care what it meant.

After the burial, Claire hid out in the lair for a few weeks, taking a leave of absence from work. Mikey had given up his room for her. The first few days were unbearable; she spent most of the time alone in his room, only coming out for meals. She was in too much pain to interact with the guys – she wanted to grieve on her own. When she finally emerged on the third day, she felt like a different person. When she was younger, she felt alone because she was without her parents. Now, she truly understood the meaning of the word alone; she was alone in the world. She realized how fragile life was and decided that she would dedicate all her time to training and patrolling with the guys. It was the one thing that made her happy – and her Grams would want her to be happy.

Claire soon discovered that her grandmother had been very thorough with her will - she left all her assets to Claire: her beautiful brownstone apartment that was fully paid for, a 1964 Pontiac GTO that had been sitting in a parking garage for years, and to Claire's shock, a substantial amount of inheritance from her stock funds. She arrived back at the lair after the asset division meeting with Gram's lawyer, jingling a pair of keys.

"Hey, Donnie!" she yelled as she walked in through the door. He poked his head out of the lab, beaker in hand. "Catch!" She threw the car keys to him and he snatched them from the air. He lifted his goggles up off his eyes, stared down at the keys and gave her a puzzled look.

"Keys to your new car. I thought you might want to play around with it. It's old, but it's classic muscle. Maybe we could pick it up tomorrow night?"

"Wow, thanks Claire!" Donnie said happily. He walked over to give her a hug, nearly spilling the contents of the beaker on her shirt. "Sorry!" he said quickly, slightly flustered.

"Don't worry about it," Claire said smiling, wrapping her arms around his shell. Donnie made his way back to the lab and Claire trudged over to the couch, plopping down on the old, worn cushions next to Mikey. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, exhaling loudly.

Mikey reached down and grabbed her legs, swinging them up onto his lap. Claire opened her eyes and watched as he pulled the black heels off her feet, placing the shoes gently on the floor. He poked at her toe and she instantly giggled, reacting to his unexpected touch. "Will you stop that?!" She playfully swung at him.

"I'm sorry, but your feet are way weird! I mean, how can toes be that tiny?" Mikey wiggled his own two toes at her to show her his "normal" feet. Laughing and shaking her head, she pulled her legs underneath her body and curled up against him. "So, how did it go?"

Claire shrugged her shoulders. "It all means nothing if I can't have my Grams." She felt Mikey's arm pull her in tighter. She looked up at him with sad eyes, "Can we just watch a movie tonight? Maybe with a ton of popcorn and junk food?"

He smiled, "Sounds like a great night! What are you in the mood for, babe? Your choice!"

They were halfway through a mindless action movie when Claire set down her bowl of popcorn and picked up the remote to press 'Pause'. "Gotta use the little girl's room," she said to Mikey, moving the blanket draped over them. She had just gotten to the door of the bathroom when she heard hushed voices coming from the dojo. Curious, she walked up to the Shoji door and pressed an ear up against it.

"I can't believe you," a voice hissed.

"What? What am I supposed to do? I was given a job and I am going to do it. I need to protect this family," another responded angrily.

The voices grew louder, revealing themselves to Claire.

"She was broken! YOU should have been the one there for her!"

"You think I didn't want to be there for her? You think it was easy for me to just lay her down on the couch and walk away after her grandmother had died? You think I don't wish that it was ME out there with her instead of Mikey? I-I would do anything for her and…" he choked.

"You – you still care for her."

"Yes, Donnie, I do. But when I am with her, my judgment is clouded; my focus is not as sharp. She makes me want to forget about all my responsibilities and give everything I have to her. And that's why I need to stay away from her. She's not good for me."

Claire stepped away from the door in shock. The words didn't make sense in her mind. _He cares for me, but I am not good for him_. She wanted to cry, but physically couldn't. She had done enough of that; instead, she just felt angry. _He knows I've been hurting since Grams died, but he is too worried about his own selfish quest to be a better leader. He couldn't take ten minutes out of his life to comfort me? Just hug me?_ She ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror and realized her hands were shaking. Since Grams died, anger had become her default. Claire struggled now more than ever before to keep her temper in check. _It's easier to not get emotionally invested in anything_, she told herself.

She took a few deep breaths and unclenched her fists. This overheard conversation between Donnie and Leo only helped to develop her hardened emotional shell.

* * *

Claire pulled shirts and jeans down from their hangers in her closet, stuffing them into a duffel bag. She had made a trip back to her apartment to replenish her clothing supply at the lair. Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she locked her door and walked down the hallway to the elevator.

_Ding_.

The door opened to the first floor and Claire walked out of her apartment building, feeling the biting cold of a December day. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and nearly froze when she saw Brad. He was standing against a lamp post, nose reddened from the cold.

"B-Brad! What are you doing here?" Claire looked up at him warily. She hadn't seen him since the funeral and that was weeks ago.

Brad shoved his hands in his pockets and nudged something on the ground with his shoe. "I uh – just wanted to see how you were doing. You know after.." He grew silent.

"I'm fine. I mean, as fine as I can be, ya know?" She sighed and shoved her keys in her bag. She hesitated before continuing, "Brad – are you still in with the Dragons?"

"Well, that's also kinda why I'm here," he looked up at her, hand running through his hair, hazel eyes intense.

Claire let out a sigh of disgust and turned to walk away, but Brad grabbed her hand. She immediately readied herself to fight back, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He looked so lost.

"Brad," she said softly, bringing her black gloved hand to rest on top of his. "Tell me, please – how can I help you?"

"Claire, just hear me out. I know you don't agree with what the Dragons do, but I'm telling you, it's not all bad. Sure the guys at the bottom – all the punks you see on the streets – are in the shit, but the higher ups in the organization are rolling in it. There's so much money to be made here – money that can be used to save my gym; to upgrade the equipment, to bring in more clients. I could have the best gym in the city!"

"Brad, I really admire your ambition but you can do all of those things on your own. I could help you. WE can make the gym the one everyone wants to be a member of." Claire moved her hand up to his face.

"Claire," he whispered softly, turning his face into her palm. He gently kissed it and she quickly withdrew her arm.

"Listen, I really need to get to –" she started.

"Those freaks, right? I know you spend all your time with them." His voice was dripping with jealousy.

Claire felt a fire in her stomach. "They are NOT freaks. They are like family." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I-I'm sorry, Claire. I just – Okay, so here's the real reason why I'm here. I am giving you one last shot to join the Dragons. You don't even realize it, but the higher-ups are talking about you. You are at the top of their recruit list and I am pretty sure they will do anything to get you on their side. I even saw some Japanese guy come in and meet with Hun at HQ – he had a picture of you and that girl Sarah – you remember her?"

"The girl from Takahashi's dojo? I sparred with her at the karate tournament last year. That's weird, why would they have our pictures?" Claire furrowed her brow.

"I dunno, he said something about boon…tie – something, I don't know. I don't speak Japanese. I wanted to come and tell you this before things got crazy." He stuck his hands back in his pockets.

Claire sighed and hugged Brad. "I appreciate you coming to tell me – I know you are just looking out for me. You always have." She pulled back from him, "but I could never be a part of that."

She turned and walked away, leaving Brad dejected on the sidewalk. She had a feeling it would be the last time they met under amicable circumstances.

* * *

Letting out a frustrated cry, Claire jumped up from her meditative position. "I'm sorry, Leo. I just – can't do this right now. How can I focus when all I want to do is hit something?" She clenched her fists, trying to hold back the sea of emotion about to wash over her. She could feel it: the anger. Threatening to take over. Part of her wanted to give in and just let it.

"Claire," Leo started, standing up, "I know it might be difficult after….recent events, but if we keep at it and continue with meditation -"

"You know the Purple Dragons have a picture of me? That I am at the top of their list?" She walked right up to him, getting in as close as she could stand to be.

"Wh-what? What do you mean they have a picture of you?" Leo's expression became very concerned.

"Brad came to see me today – by himself. He told me some Japanese guy came to meet with Hun and they had my picture. Talking about boon tie or something, I don't know. The Purple Dragons are on the hunt for me and you want me to just sit here and meditate!"

"Buntai? It's Japanese for 'team'." He brought a fist to his mouth, contemplating Claire's words, eyes darting back and forth as he processed them. Claire felt an urge to just reach in and shake him.

"Jesus, Leo! Stop thinking and just let yourself go." She grabbed his arm, gently squeezing his bicep. She couldn't help herself, lowering her voice, "Let it go. Please." She couldn't stand how desperate the last sentence had escaped her.

"You know I can't," he simply responded, understanding the meaning of her words. There was no emotion in his voice. He pulled back from her, letting his hands fall at his side.

"You were right; you CAN'T give me what I need." Claire turned and walked out of the dojo slamming the door shut, leaving a scowling Leo behind. What she needed right now was a release. Maybe some more practice with her katana –

"I know what ya need."

Claire whipped around, "Raph?"

He remained silent staring intensely at her, arms crossed, shell up against the fridge door. She ran her hand through her long, blonde hair and looked up into his glowing amber eyes.

"So, what did you have in mind?"

* * *

It was the first time in weeks that Claire had felt anything other than anger and pain. It was as if all her troubles had been left behind and nothing mattered anymore. Raph revved the motorcycle, popping the front tire up just a bit before leaning forward to weave in and out of traffic. The city was being treated to a rare, clear sunset and it reflected beautiful deep orange tones off the building windows.

The city looked like it was on fire.

Claire's adrenaline spiked and she felt a smile form on her face. She stared at the front of Raph's helmet in the side mirror of the bike as she thought, _he really does get me._ She pulled her arms even tighter around him, giving him an extra squeeze in appreciation.

She didn't even know where they were headed; she didn't care. For now, she was just enjoying the way the wind felt against her body as they sped through the city streets. Raph started to slow the bike down and Claire  
realized they were in a bad part of town. Pulling into a dark alleyway, he cut the engine and shut the headlight off. Jumping off the bike, Claire pulled the helmet from her head and looked around. She watched as Raph jumped up the side of the building onto the fire escape stairs. "Are you serious?" she muttered. She followed him up the stairs with only a little bit of difficulty; patrolling with the guys had really improved her skills.

When she finally reached the roof, she walked up to Raph who was perched on the north side edge of the building. "So, what's the plan, chief?"

"We wait," he said gruffly.

"Ooook," she leaned back against an HVAC unit, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. She zipped her leather jacket all the way up to her neck feeling the wind whip across her face.

Five minutes later, Raph's hand was on her arm. "It's go time."

Following him down the other side of the building, they quietly rounded the corner back into the alley. Standing before them was a group of Purple Dragons – probably new recruits, they didn't look too tatted up yet. She grinned and looked up at Raph who smirked back at her. It was like Christmas came early.

They tore through the gang way too easily for Claire's liking. Every punch was a release; every kick was weight off her shoulders. She soon lost herself in what she was doing as she straddled the Dragon that had collapsed to the ground, swinging a fist into his face over and over again.

"Aight Claire, dat's enough," Raph growled at her as she relentlessly pounded on the Dragon. A voice was screaming inside her to stop. _You are going to kill him! _But she couldn't stop; it felt too good. She got in a few more good hits before she felt strong arms roughly pull her up from the cold ground. Claire whipped around and shoved Raphael hard. "Get off of me! I had it under control!" Claire yelled at him.

"Control?" Raphael snorted at her. "I didn't see any control in what you just did," he pointed to the heap of Dragons she took down.

She threw a punch at him which he blocked. She tried again; blocked. Back and forth, she threw them harder, faster. Frustrated, she cried out as she kicked; he caught it and sent her flying down to the ground, pain shooting through her elbow. She immediately got up and attacked him with everything she had. "You wanna dance, sweetheart? Then, let's go," he growled, eyes ablaze.

Claire was too caught up in her anger to see what she was doing. All her emotions that had been building up inside of her were being unleashed. She cocked her arm back and swung it at him with everything she had.

_Grams is gone._

Raph sidestepped her punch and stood there, waiting for her next move.

_Leo wants nothing to do with me_.

With a growl, she launched herself at him. She didn't even know who she was anymore. All her discipline from years of karate flew out the window. She turned and spun her heel at his leg, intentionally trying to hurt him; he caught her foot and simply dropped it to the side.

_I am alone._

Driven by her anger and adrenaline, she threw right after left in quick succession at his head. He either ducked or blocked each one.

"Dat's it, baby, put it all on me," Raph's eyes were fiery as he allowed Claire to attack him. He knew she wasn't holding back. "I want you to take it all out on me." His words only angered her further. She threw a roundhouse punch that barely missed his face. He caught her by the wrist and pulled up on her arm, bringing her in close. She stared up at him, the both of them panting. Without warning, he smashed his lips against hers. Claire didn't even let herself think about it, just reacted to his touch. She pressed her body into his; her soft, supple chest crushed up against his scarred plastron. She wrapped her arms up around his neck, deepening the kiss, tongues massaging one another. In one swift motion, he grabbed at her thighs and hoisted her up into the air. She responded by wrapping her legs around his shell. He groaned and roughly pushed her up against a nearby building. A small voice in her head screamed at her to stop. She opted to ignore it; she just wanted to feel something.

Raphael grabbed at her jacket, tearing the zipper apart to get underneath. He pulled at her t-shirt, ripping it at the collar and began trailing kisses down her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying how alive she felt. They immediately popped back open when she felt a tongue drag across her shoulder. It was what Leo did that night she went up to his room…

"Stop!" she yelled, pushing him away. He released her legs and she dropped back down to the concrete sidewalk, hastily zipping her jacket back up, her blonde hair whipping around her face in the wind.

"What? Whatsa matter?" Raph put both hands up on the brick building on either side of her head, trapping her.

She looked down at the ground, crossing her arms; she didn't respond.

"It's him, isn't it? You were thinkin' bout Leo." He withdrew his hands from the building and rubbed the back of his head. "Let's get outta here."

In silence, they got on the bike and made their way back home. When they finally reached the garage, Claire practically jumped off. After what happened tonight, she just wanted to be alone.

"He's an idiot, ya know," Raph broke the silence, startling Claire.

"Excuse me?" She looked up at him, confused.

"I said: he's a fuckin' idiot. For what he did to you. He takes his 'burden' too seriously. He can't see that he would be the luckiest man – or turtle – in tha world to have you by his side. Maybe one day he will."

Claire blinked at him. Without another word, he lowered himself down into the manhole.

Raph's words made Claire think – '_he can't see'. I need to make him see. I am no quitter. I fight for what I want. I WILL make him see._ Eyes set with determination, Claire followed Raphael down into the sewers.

* * *

Splinter had been sick for the past week and Leo was getting frustrated with his stubbornness. Leo wanted to have Donnie take a look at him, maybe draw some blood and run a few tests, but his father did not want the others to know.

"My son, I will be just fine. We have to give my herbal teas and remedies a chance to work through my system," he put a shaky hand on Leo's shoulder. Leo bowed his head and sighed. He stepped out of his father's room, shoulders slumped. _What if something was really wrong?_ _Splinter wasn't getting any younger and the life span of a rat…NO. I will not think about that. He WILL get better._

But the doubt in his mind lingered and ate away at his hope. He turned his focus to the Purple Dragons. _Claire had said something about a team – who was that Japanese man and what were the Dragons planning?_ He began going through some of Donnie's old files – it started innocently enough: Leo pulled the files, scanning each one briefly before reviewing the next. Soon, his frustrations got the better of him; between his father's sickness and the Purple Dragon's plan involving Claire, he was furious. He began ripping the files out of the drawers, throwing them around in a fit. Hundreds of papers flew through the air; he started punching out at them, green knuckles tearing through the thin material.

"L-leo?" He whipped around, fists raised, eyes flashing with anger.

Claire looked around at the mess, eyes wide. "Is-is everything OK?"

"NO!" he yelled. "Everything is NOT okay! Everything's fucked up!" Claire nearly gasped; Leo never cursed. She tentatively put her hand on his shoulder and he violently shrugged it off. "If you came here to talk about us, I can't hear about it. I've got enough to worry about, Claire. You need to move on."

His words hit her like a Mack truck. "Fine. I get the message." She turned and walked out of Donnie's lab, running once she hit the kitchen. She ran all the way to Mikey's room, closing the curtain behind her.

Leo instantly regretted what he said to her. He didn't really mean it; he was just too frustrated with his own helplessness. Defeated, he put his head in his hands, ears following her footsteps as she ran through the lair. _What is wrong with me?_

* * *

It had to be three or four in the morning; sleep didn't come so easily to Claire these days. Between taking out all those Dragons and her incident with Raph that night, her body was tingling with want. A primal need slowly began to take over her body and she found herself a slave to its call. Rising from Mikey's bed, she silently threw open the frayed orange curtain. She stepped onto the landing of the second floor and looked out into the lair. The darkness surrounded her; it soaked itself into every pore. It was as if her body was moving on its own accord – some unknown power directing her to his room. She knew it was cold, as evidenced by the goose bumps on her body underneath the short, green silk robe; but she didn't feel the cold.

Her body was on fire.

Stepping barefoot to his room, she threw back the curtain, closing it just as quickly behind her. Her heart racing, she closed in on his bed. She strode confidently through the dark, without hesitation. She climbed onto the edge of the bed and heard the sound of metal clanging.

_He must have grabbed his weapons_, she thought to herself.

"Stop right there," he warned. She didn't heed his warning; she couldn't stop herself if she tried. She crawled across the bed and thrust her hand forward into the darkness. She felt her hand meet his hard plastron. "C-Claire?" she heard him gasp. His voice was raspy and thick from sleep. Pushing him back down onto his bed, she straddled his body and ran her hands over his chest, sliding her  
fingers across each and every groove. She heard a sharp intake of breath; hands on his plastron, she could feel the pace of his breath quicken. "What are you doi-", she quickly silenced him with a kiss. He groaned into her mouth and brought his arms up, his large green fingers running through her golden hair.

"Shut up", she commanded. She untied the black sash on her robe and threw it onto the floor, revealing her naked body underneath.

He growled as her scent hit him and rolled her over, pinning her stomach down on the bed. She squirmed to get up, but he was much stronger than she was. He brought his face down to the back of her head, breathing in the scent of her freshly washed hair.

"Do ya even know how much I want ya right now?" he whispered in her ear. Claire shivered and moaned. "Do ya remember that night Mikey tried to braid your hair?"

Claire's voice was caught in her throat; she just nodded her head.

"When I was helpin' ya fix it, you stepped back into me and your hair – it smelled so good. YOU smelled so good. I just wanted to turn ya around and have my way with you."

He brought his mouth to Claire's ear. "You are so damn sexy," he purred. She bit down on her lip. "But what about Leo?"

The name evoked a horrible feeling in her stomach. "He doesn't want me," she said softly.

"Well, **I** want you." He turned her around so she was face to face with him. "Let me see you," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. A soft noise erupted from his throat and Claire stared up at him, eyes wide. "Oh, sorry, it's a –uh – thing that happens when I'm really turned on." She pressed her hand lightly against his thick, muscular neck, feeling the churr vibrate against her fingertips.

"It's sexy," she said with sultry eyes.

She wrapped her legs around his shell while running her hands up and down his thighs. "Before we go any further, I just want to make sure we are on the same page. I am just satisfying an urge here – this means nothing to me."

Raph scoffed, "You think I want a girlfriend? This is just us having a little fun."

* * *

With an exhale, Claire flopped back onto the bed, closing her eyes. She felt Raphael fall down next to her and she swung herself up onto the edge of the bed, feeling along the floor for her robe.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?" With strong arms he pulled her back onto the bed, pinning her against him.

"I should get back to Mikey's room." Claire looked up into his amber eyes – they looked different. There was a softness about them. "Everyone's going to be up in a few hours for training."

He ran his hand along her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. He pressed his lips against the back of her neck and released her.

"Aight. See ya for breakfast, then." He rolled over and pulled his blanket up around him.

She quickly wrapped her robe around her body and quietly made her way back to the orange curtain. Sliding underneath Mikey's covers, she let out a relaxed breath. For the first time in a month, her mind felt clear and focused. She closed her eyes, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before Mikey would burst into the room, bouncing on the bed to wake her for training.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Disclaimer: _****_I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

Leo drew back the curtain to his room and yawning, quietly made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he opened the fridge door and reached for the blue pitcher labeled "LEO". He poured himself a glass of his protein shake and sat down at the kitchen table, checking the clock on top of the microwave. _Thirty minutes until training. I still have plenty of time to stretch_, he thought to himself as he settled into the chair. He sensed someone walking through the lair behind him and he felt a stab of guilt. "Claire, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last –" he turned and froze when he saw Raphael headed towards the bathroom, towel in hand.

"Nope, just me, bro. I –uh- didn't realize you were up yet," Raph replied, rubbing the back of his head and looking uncomfortably at the floor.

"Oh, I just – could've sworn – I mean her scent was-" Leo stood up from the table and took a step closer towards his brother, drawing a deep breath in through his nose. "Her scent is all over you, do you realize that?" His stomach tightened at the implications.

"Yea –we - hung out last night," he anxiously shifted the bath towel back and forth between his hands as his eyes scanned Leo's face.

Leo's hand holding the glass curled, threatening to crush it; he knew what happened last night. It wasn't just the scent of her skin or her hair on Raphael – Leo could smell her arousal. It gave him these horrible mixed feelings – a small part of him was turned on by it; like some switch inside of him was flipped. A much stronger reaction to this was anger; Claire's sweet scent was all over his brother.

"You slept with Claire?!" he blurted out as the glass in his hand shattered into pieces. He felt the rage bubble up inside and his animal instinct kicked in. He lunged, taking an unsuspecting Raphael down to the floor. Leo lashed out at him, throwing punches furiously. Raphael growled and flipped them over, putting Leo in a headlock. Leo landed a few hard body shots, causing his brother to release him. Leo, kipping up from the floor, let out a fierce cry and spun a leg around at Raph sending him flying back into the living room table with a loud crash. The force splintered the table, sending shards of wood everywhere.

Claire's eyes snapped open at the sounds coming from downstairs. She quickly threw on a hoodie, hopped into a pair of cotton shorts that were lying on the dresser and ran out of Mikey's room. Her stomach dropped when she saw what the commotion was. Her hand flew to her mouth. "He knows," she said under her breath. She ran down the stairs and flew over to the fighting brothers, grabbing the first shoulder she could get her hand on. "Guys, stop it!" Blind in his anger, Leo spun his fist out at her, not even looking in her direction before continuing to beat on his brother.

Claire fell backwards from the swift blow, clipping her head on the nearby kitchen table as she tumbled to the hard floor. Groaning, she brought her hand to her forehead; it felt warm and sticky. She looked at her hand and frowned when she saw blood.

Claire looked up towards the bedrooms as Mikey and Donnie leapt over the second story railing, somersaulting through the air and landing gracefully on the main floor. They each ran towards a brother. Mikey was first to get to the dueling pair; he grabbed at Raphael. "Dude, stop it!"

Donnie tried in vain to hold Leo's arms back, but it was no use; Leo was acting like a caged animal. He slid himself in front of Leo, pushing on his plastron and looked into his eyes, "Leo! Stop it!" Panting, Leo stared back at his brother, his inner animal subsiding. He shifted his eyes from Donnie and glared at Raphael who was kneeling on the floor, holding his stomach.

"Claire, are you okay?" Mikey yelled over to her, his baby blue eyes concerned.

She tried to stand, but felt too lightheaded. "Yea, I'll be fine," she huffed, putting pressure on her forehead.

Leo whipped around; eyes widening when he realized Claire was bleeding.

"Claire – your head," began Raph who started towards her.

Leo let out a low growl, "Don't go near her!" He instinctively brought his fists up, blocking Raphael's path to Claire.

"What the shell is going on, guys?" Donnie swung his head back and forth between Raph and Leo, a hand still on Leo's chest plates.

"Raph slept with Claire!" Leo spat out angrily, eyes remaining on Raphael. Donnie and Mikey's mouths dropped and they shifted their gaze to Claire.

Claire, whose anger outweighed her embarrassment, weakly stood up and grabbed a dishtowel from the counter, "Yes, Leo, I slept with Raphael. I was sad, I was lonely and he was… just there; I was in a dark place last night."

He stared back at her, seething, "How could you do something like that to me?"

She shook a finger at him, "No, no Leo. Don't do that – that's not fair! Where were you when Grams died - when I needed you the most? How many times was I going to put myself out there for you? I wanted you more than anything and you told me to move on. I was HURTING!"

"So you moved on to my brother?!" His stomach flipped. "You have feelings for HIM." Leo couldn't even look at Raphael.

"No, I don't. It was a one-time thing; we were fighting and then one thing led to another… But I DON'T have feelings for Raphael. I never did." She turned, pressing the towel into the wound and started for the stairs. "I'm going to get my things. I think it's best if I leave right now."

"Good idea," Leo hissed, watching her make her way to Mikey's room.

Raph gave his brother a dirty look as he wiped his chin and walked off towards the bathroom, slamming the door. Leo spun around angrily and headed towards the lair exit.

Mikey looked up at Donnie's worried expression. "Dude, that was some Jerry Springer shit. I didn't think Leo still liked Claire. I mean, I thought he made it pretty damn obvious that he didn't want to be in a relationship. With anyone."

"I know. But Leo plays things pretty close to the chest," Donnie said quietly.

"Do you think Leo's going to be alright?" Mikey asked the turtle in purple.

"I have no idea." Donnie's eyes followed Leo as he slammed the lair door shut, listening to his enraged screams echo through the sewer tunnels.

* * *

Claire spent the following week at her apartment; she felt like everyone just needed some space. Jill visited her nearly every night after work to talk and keep her company. Claire filled Jill in on the situation, seeking her advice.

"Claire, I have never seen you like this over a guy. You have to tell me: who is this mystery man?" Her blue eyes sparkled as she grabbed Claire's hands.

Claire chuckled, "Uh, his name is Lenny. I met him walking home one night from karate class. We uh, just kind of bumped into each other." Claire sighed, thinking back to that night that started this whole series of events. She had felt so safe in Leo's arms; felt such a connection with him before she even knew who he was.

"Girl, you know how the guys are here in New York; they are stubborn as hell. But seriously, he kind of acted like a dick. I don't blame you either, for sleeping with this guy, Roger. You were lonely, and Roger really seems more like your type, don't you think? I mean Lenny sounds like he's got a stick up his ass. "

Claire thought about this. "You know what? You are right. Roger is usually the type I go for. But for some reason, I still feel something for Lenny. Even after everything that has happened." She looked up at her friend. "I am pathetic aren't I?"

Jill laughed and drew her in for a hug. "Claire, you are NOT pathetic. It just sounds like you seriously like this guy. Maybe even lov-" Claire clamped a hand on Jill's mouth and shot her a look.

"Don't you dare say the 'L' word," Claire warned as she removed her hand from her friend's mouth.

Jill smirked, "Alright, alright." She peeked at the time on her watch. "Aw, damn. I gotta head out. Some of us actually still have to work," she winked at Claire.

Smiling, Claire walked Jill to the door, handing her friend her winter coat. "Thanks for coming over, Jill. It really means a lot to me. You are such a good friend."

Jill threw her arms around Claire and kissed her cheek. "Love ya girlie!"

* * *

Leo stood outside the door and knocked impatiently. He peered down the hallway from underneath his fedora and rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm them. Leo hated New York in the winter time; his body didn't agree with it. Finally, the door opened and Leo welcomed the warmth coming from within the apartment.

"Hey, April," he said, shrugging out of his trench coat. "Thanks for inviting me over so late. It's been a week since –" he didn't want to finish the thought. "I just really wanted to talk to you about it."

"Anytime, Leo," she put a gentle hand on his shoulder, smiling. "How is Splinter doing? He seemed a little sick the last time I was there."

Leo nodded, "Yea, I was nervous about that, but he seems to be just fine. He chalked it up to some bad sushi. But I've noticed that it's been taking him longer to recover from sickness."

Leo took a seat on the couch and April handed him a mug of tea. "Okay, so, start at the beginning." She tucked a piece of her bright red hair behind her ear.

Leo told April all about his feelings for Claire – how he was so struck by her when they first met, his joy of finding out that she had feelings for him too and then how it all fall apart. He acknowledged pushing her away; how he wasn't able to be there for her when her grandmother died. But when he talked about what happened between her and Raph, his hands were shaking. "I –I am just so angry right now. Claire spent the night with Raphael. And I just don't know how to handle that. I don't think I can. It-it's over for us."

"Okay, let's back up. Does Claire know how you truly feel about her? Have you told her? I mean, after Mikey got hurt?"

Leo shifted his eyes to the floor. "Well, not exactly. I mean, I told her to move on – but I -" he exhaled. "I just thought that it would be better this way; I needed to focus on being the leader. But I can't handle the thought of her being with someone else. Especially Raphael!" He could feel his body temperature rise at the idea of Claire in Raph's bed doing all the things Leo only dreamed about doing with her.

"Leonardo, do you love her?"

Leo was startled by her words. "I-I don't know. Maybe I did, but now-," he said quietly as he placed his mug down on the coffee table.

"Love can be the most powerful thing in the world. It can make you do crazy things; make you feel things you never thought possible. I think that if you love someone and are lucky enough to have them love you back, you should never let that go. Not everyone finds it, you know?"

"But, April, how can I trust either of them? They have both betrayed me!" He pounded a fist on the arm of the couch, teeth gritted.

"Were you and Claire together when she was with Raphael?" She took a sip of her tea.

"No." Leo didn't like where this was going.

"And does Raphael know about your feelings towards her?" She looked into his tired, red eyes.

He laughed bitterly, "I'm sure he does now."

"So they spent the night together as single, consenting adults." April tilted her head at him, her eyes soft.

Leonardo was silent, eyes drawn to the floor. He knew she was right, but he did not want to admit it. He and Claire had only gone on one date after all. Leo had pushed her away in the two months that followed.

"Leo, you need to talk to both Claire and Raph. Obviously, she didn't know you still had feelings for her or she probably would not have slept with him. You need to ask yourself: are you willing to move past this? And if you are, can you live your life as leader of the Hamato clan without her in it?"

Leo looked up at April, his eyes unreadable.

* * *

Leo contemplated his conversation with April as he walked the tunnels back home. He hoped Raph had gone out; he wasn't sure he was ready to talk to him yet. The past week had been extremely uncomfortable for the both of them; Leo ignored Raph during training and Raph went topside every night on his own. Sighing, Leo walked in through the lair door and was surprised to see Donnie waiting there for him.

"How are you?" Donnie asked him, chocolate brown eyes scanning his brother's face.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "I just went to go see April."

Donnie's face lit up, "How is she?"

"She's good. I just wanted to get a woman's perspective on this whole thing." He closed the door behind him.

"So what was the verdict?" Donnie looked at this brother thoughtfully.

"She thinks I have to ask myself if I can I get past this. But even if I can forget about what happened, would I even be able to have a relationship with her? I mean, I couldn't make it work before; nothing has changed since then."

"So, you still have feelings for her, then." Donnie searched his brother's face with analytical eyes.

Leo sighed. "Yes. A part of me feels like I always will. But I really don't think I can get past it."

Donnie brought his hand up to his mouth, rubbing a thumb across his lips in thought. "And yet, you gave Karai a second chance."

Leo was taken aback. "Wh-what do you mean? What does Karai have to do with this?" He narrowed his dark blue eyes at Donnie.

"Come on, Leo. It's me you are talking to here. All those nights you came home late from 'patrolling' by yourself? Mikey and Raph might have been asleep, but I'm always up late in my lab. You think I couldn't smell her on you? Or see the way you two interacted back when we fought the Foot?" He raised a brow at him.

Leo was speechless. He should have known that his observant brother would be able to see right through him. Back when Karai first appeared in New York City, he felt this strange attraction towards her. She showed promise of being an ally, but even more than that, a potential companion. They had engaged in a ninja's version of flirting: nightly rooftop sparring. When that was no longer enough, they had spent the night with one another in an old abandoned warehouse. They would meet each other on occasion to act on their suppressed want. If he and his brothers had a particularly nasty battle with the Foot, Leo and Karai would avoid each other; sometimes he wouldn't see her for weeks. But eventually, they would find their way back to one another; meeting again at "their spot".

He had high hopes for their potential relationship when she was captured by Bishop, but that all fell apart when they tried to stop the Shredder from leaving Earth. He and his brothers had nearly killed themselves to rid the universe of the Shredder and Karai had badly injured him. He felt betrayed and even worse: he felt like he was failure.

Donnie continued, "And Karai didn't sleep with your brother because she was lonely. She tried to kill us, Leo. Your family. And you kept giving her chances. Why are you so unwilling to do the same for Claire?"

Leo clenched his jaw and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. He nodded at him and began walking the stairs to his room.

* * *

Leonardo sat in his bedroom meditating for a good part of the next day. He thought about what Claire had said to him before she left: "I was in a dark place". He reflected back on when he himself felt that way after they nearly committed suicide to defeat the Shredder. It had affected his judgment; he made poor decisions. He felt a stab of guilt; Claire had been in a dark place for some time after her grandmother had died and he wasn't there for her. He had been lucky enough to have his brothers and Master Splinter to help pull him out of it.

Donnie was right; he gave Karai chance after chance and ultimately, what she had done was far worse. Besides that, his feelings for Claire ran deeper than anything he ever felt for Karai.

Leo had planned to talk to Raphael that night about what happened. April was right; Raphael didn't know that Leo felt so strongly about Claire. If he did, then he wouldn't have slept with her. Yes, he could be an asshole sometimes, but he would never do anything to hurt his brother like that.

Leonardo walked into the kitchen, finding Raphael hunched over in a chair, a beer in his hand. He hesitantly approached him.

Raphael took a swig from the bottle and looked up at Leo warily, "Are ya gonna hit me again?"

"Listen, Raph. I am sorry about what happened last week. I know you didn't sleep with Claire to hurt me."

"Leo, I really didn't know. I mean, I asked her about ya – because I know the two of you were kinda a thing for a few days. She told me that you said you didn't want her. We were just out fightin' and then the next thing ya know –" he paused. "I mean, she's a real good friend and I don't wanna lose her friendship." His eyes grew dark and he looked off into the distance. "But that's where it stops."

Leonardo nodded his head, "I believe you."

Raphael slammed the bottle down on the table and stood up, outstretching his hand. "No hard feelings?"

Leo grabbed his brother's hand and shook it. He turned to walk out of the kitchen, but some primal feeling stirring inside his chest made him stop dead in his tracks. He turned back to Raphael, a hardened look in his eyes, "I still have feelings for her. So I am asking you to stay away while I sort things out."

Raphael nodded, a solemn look on his face.

"She's mine," Leo softly growled as he exited the room.

* * *

It had been nearly two weeks since Claire left the lair. Mikey came over some nights to watch movies and Donnie stopped by every other day to work on her training, but she really missed spending time with everyone together. She hadn't spoken to Raphael since that night and she was upset by the thought that she might have lost his friendship. She was still so angry with Leo; angry with herself. The guilt of sleeping with Raphael was almost unbearable. Even if there was nothing between her and Leo, the thought of hurting him stung deep.

_Why didn't Leo just tell me how he truly felt? _She sighed as she stepped out of her apartment building and headed to the sewers. Mikey texted her that they would be out on patrol and Claire thought it would be the best time to go pick up some of her stuff. As she trudged through the tunnels, she felt a pang in her chest. She really missed this walk.

She opened the lair door, "Master Splinter?" She called out to him as she set her bag down. She heard the familiar scraping of his door opening and smiled when she saw him.

"Master Splinter," she said bowing her head slightly. "It is really good to see you again. I just came to pick up a few things while the guys are out."

"Claire, it is wonderful to see you," he said, bowing his head in return. "Have you spoken with Leonardo yet?" He absentmindedly stroked his long, scraggly beard.

She shifted uncomfortably. _How much does he know? _

"I know more than you think," he said smiling, as if reading her thoughts.

"I really doubt that Leonardo wants to talk to me," she said softly. A sudden chirp interrupted their conversation. Claire reached into her jean pocket and pulled out her cell phone; she furrowed her brow when she saw the screen.

**_911! Help! At gym!_**

The text came from Jill. Claire felt the goose bumps travel over her body and she began to panic. Jill had NEVER sent her anything like this before.

"Master Splinter, I am so sorry; I really wanted to stay and chat, but I have to leave. My friend just sent me a very alarming text. She might be in some sort of trouble. I need to meet her at the gym."

"Maybe you should wait until my sons return, Claire. It might be safer to-"

"I'm sorry, but I need to leave now!" Claire spun on her heel and ran out of the lair, not even bothering to grab her bag.

Claire jogged through the city streets, her boots crunching on the newly fallen snow; it was the first snow of the winter. She squeezed her way through the crowds, heart racing. _This better not be some kind of joke,_ Claire thought to herself. She imagined Jill standing outside the gym door, all bundled up in her winter gear, wallet at the ready for "911 shopping". She finally reached the gym door and pulled at the handle – it was locked. _Huh, that's weird_. She checked her phone; it was 7:00 PM. _The gym should be open, _she thought frowning as she pulled out her keys.

Claire threw open the front door of the gym and peered inside. She shook the snow out of her hair and closed the door behind her. It was completely dark except for a faint light that was coming from the back offices. "Jill?" Claire called out to her friend. _What the hell is going on?_

She began to walk towards the light and stopped when she thought she heard a noise. She whipped around, but no one was there. She turned back to the direction of the office on high alert, eyes darting into the corners of the building. She suddenly felt a strong arm around her waist and before she could react, a white cloth was clamped to her mouth. Claire felt herself fade.

* * *

Claire slowly opened her eyes, blinking to rid the fuzziness from her vision. She was alone in a dimly lit room. She sat up from the floor, surveying her surroundings. She recognized this room – it was Hun's office at Club Blu! Panicked, she stood up and ran for the door, twisting the knob. It was locked. She stepped back and felt at her pockets for her phone, but it was gone. _Oh my god, Jill. Was she here too?_

_Shit_.

The door was suddenly flung open and four tattooed men walked in. Claire stood up, readying herself for a fight, but they put their hands up in the air. "I don't think that's a good idea, chica. You're gonna wanna save your energy for the circle."

Claire remained in her defensive fighting stance. "The circle? What the hell is that?"

The man who spoke snickered and pointed outside the door. Claire cautiously walked out of the room, the men trailing closely behind her. She froze in horror when she saw a crowd of Purple Dragons where the dance floor would be. There were a few men on the side who punched at the air and jumped around in place as if they were warming up for something. The four men led her through the swarm of Dragons; a few men in the crowd tried reaching out to grab her, but she fought them off. There had to be nearly a hundred of them. One of the Dragons pushed Claire forward and she stumbled into the middle of the crowd; she had reached the center of the circle. It was a clear opening and had a circumference of nearly 50 feet. A line had been drawn around the circle to separate the crowd from Claire and the Dragons hovered on it, jeering at her.

"What the hell is going on?!" She yelled out to no one in particular, hoping someone would shed light on the situation.

"You are here to fight. Call it: initiation," came a booming voice. She recognized it instantly. _Hun_, she thought with disgust as she turned her head in the direction of the voice.

"I told you I'm not joining your pathetic gang!" She spotted Hun on a raised platform above the crowd and nearly choked when she saw Brad sitting next to him. His eyes were wide and he had a thumb to his mouth, chewing on the nail. "Brad, is Jill here?!" Claire yelled up to him.

He shook his head, "No –Claire, I had to…steal her phone during work so I could-" He stopped and looked down at the floor, ashamed.

Claire felt numb. _Brad set me up_. Someone threw a katana into the circle; it fell to the ground with a clang. She bent over to pick it up, examining the blade. It was sharpened and battle-ready. Her stomach suddenly filled with dread as the realization hit her. She was probably going to have to kill someone with this.

"Let the games begin!" Hun proclaimed, prompting the Dragon bystanders to pump their fists into the air.

A thin, scrawny looking man was pushed into the circle. Claire narrowed her eyes and looked him over; he held a baseball bat in his shaky hands. He approached Claire hesitantly and Claire flipped her sword across her body in the defensive position that Leo had taught her.

_Leo_, she thought desperately. She could only hope that the guys would somehow be able to track her here. There was no way she was getting out of this by herself.

The man swung out weakly at her, Claire easily dodged the bat and threw a leg out into his stomach, throwing him off balance. She was going to avoid using the katana – it would have to be a last resort.

A few members of the crowd began goading him on, encouraging him to rush her. He nervously looked around and with a weak yell, lunged at Claire. She easily sidestepped his attack and threw a fist at his temple as he flew right past her. He immediately crumbled to the ground. Claire looked up at the platform, waiting for Hun's next move.

"Send the next one in!" he yelled.

Claire scanned the edge of the circle waiting for her next opponent. _How many were they going to send in? _Another man confidently stepped through the crowd, a ball and chain in his hand. Taking a deep breath, Claire drew up her sword and waited for him to make his move.

* * *

"Bros, I am so looking forward to scarfing down that leftover pizza and playing some Halo," Mikey said as they rounded the final tunnel to the lair. Leo walked in through the door and froze when he saw the familiar duffel bag sitting on the ground.

_Was she here?_ His heart started racing; he didn't know if he was ready to talk to her yet. _Will I be able to tell her how I feel?_

Master Splinter stood in the middle of the lair, waiting anxiously for them, tapping his walking staff. Leo, still on high alert from his father's sickness ran over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sensei, are you alright?"

"Yes, my son; but I fear Claire is not", he looked up at Leo, eyes concerned.

* * *

Claire was starting to feel her energy drain. _NO_, she thought to herself. _I need to keep going as long as possible_. _Who knows what they would do to me if I lost; that is, if I'm not killed in the circle first._ She had defeated the first five men they threw at her; each one was increasingly more skilled than the last.

Claire dropped to the ground on one knee; she just needed a quick rest before the next opponent. She lowered her head, trying to concentrate and focus her energy. A small commotion above the crowd's noise caught her attention. She looked up at the platform and saw Brad's chair was empty. Scanning the room, she realized he was making his way through the crowd in an attempt to get to her. The look in Hun's eyes terrified Claire. Hun rose up from his seat and jumped down from the platform, chasing after Brad.

"Brad, no!" Claire screamed for him to stop, but it was too late. She watched in horror as Hun grabbed Brad from behind in his thick arms. Brad fought back, landing a fierce right on Hun's face. The two scuffled for a few moments before Hun kneed Brad in the spine, knocking him to the floor. Hun grabbed Brad's limp head in his enormous hands and with one swift motion, twisted.

There was a sickening snap and Brad's eyes were dead. He was gone.

"Nooooo!" Claire screamed. She fell to the ground on all fours, the pain of losing Brad jolting through her body like an electric current.

"Next!" Hun shouted as he wiped his hands and climbed back up to the platform.

Claire looked up towards the man making his way into the circle and held back a sob. She was so physically and mentally exhausted, she could barely stand. She was able to take the last guy down without seriously hurting him, but her new opponent was three times her size. Her grief was halted by the sudden fear for her survival.

She slowly stood up, covered in dirt and sweat as she looked up at the man. He wore a sick, twisted smile as he cracked his knuckles. She dug her foot into the ground and held the katana blade up by her face. He quickly lunged out at her and Claire tried sidestepping him, but was too slow. He hit a nerve in her arm and Claire cried out, her hand releasing the katana. She watched in horror as it skittered away to the other side of the circle.

The man grabbed her wrist forcefully and put her left arm in an arm bar, pulling up hard. Claire's stomach turned when she felt something pop. He took advantage of her vulnerable state and pulled out a large knife from his cargo pants. He slashed at her exposed side and blood instantly began gushing from the wound. She cried out and reached in to scoop kick his groin. He slumped forward, loosening his hold on Claire. She rolled away, grabbing her katana that was sitting at the edge of the crowd. She held it with her good arm, fingers tightening around the tsuka; her other hand pressed up against her gash. With her back to him, she kneeled in wait, feigning injury. Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened to him lumbering towards her. She drew in a breath and ignoring the pulsing pain in her shoulder, whipped around executing the advanced Mizu Gaeshi attack Leo taught her.

She felt the blade sink into his body as she moved the katana from his waist up to his collarbone. He cried out and dropped to his knees. She withdrew the blade from his body and swiftly sliced it back through him from his neck to his hip on the other side of his body. Claire put a foot up against his chest and pushed, pulling the katana out of his torso. She quickly turned her back towards him before his body slumped to the ground. She did not want to see the man she had just killed. She glanced down at her side; it was in pretty bad shape. She pressed her bloody, shaking hand against it in an attempt to slow the blood loss.

_I won._

This was her last thought before she hit the ground, unconscious.

The emergency exit door came flying off its hinges as a muscular, green leg powered through it. The turtles raced into the club, fighting through the crowd, tossing Dragons like ragdolls. Half of them ran when they saw their friends getting their limbs broken. Bo staff, nunchaku, sai and katanas sliced and struck methodically. Hun jumped down off the platform with a yell and Mikey and Donnie raced towards him.

The crowd began to disperse and then Leo saw her. She was lying on the ground in a pool of blood; her eyes were closed and her face was pale. In that moment, Leo knew he couldn't live without her. He didn't care that she slept with Raph; he didn't care about anything that had happened before this moment. Leo jumped up against a nearby wall and launched himself over the crowd of Dragons, driven by the fear that Claire was dead. He flipped, landing in the circle and rushed over to Claire, picking her up. Leo cradled Claire in his arms, "No, no, no, no, Claire!" He crushed her body in close to his, a large green hand pressing against the wound on her side. "Please, I will do anything. You can't leave me – I won't let it happen again." A solitary tear ran down his green cheek as the turtles continued fighting ferociously.

"Donnie!" He screamed for his brother.

Raphael ran over to where his brothers were fighting Hun, "Donnie! Go help, please!"

The desperation in Raph's voice had Donnie racing towards the circle. Leo gently laid Claire down on the ground while Donnie checked her vitals and felt around for any other injuries.

"Her pulse is weak; she's losing a lot of blood from the gash. Also looks like her left arm might be dislocated or broken. We need to get her back to the lair NOW." He stood up and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Mikey, we need to get out of here!" Leo called out, picking Claire back up in his arms.

Michelangelo nodded and leapt onto Hun's back, wrapping a nunchaku around his neck, the metal chain digging into flesh. Using all of his strength, he pulled back in an attempt to strangulate him. Raphael took the opportunity to slash at Hun's exposed torso. Raphael realized Hun was fading and with a piercing battle cry, landed a two-toed kick to Hun's face, rendering him unconscious.

Mikey immediately tossed out a handful of smoke bombs, allowing them to escape the remaining Dragons and bring Claire to safety.

* * *

Donnie let the blue curtain fall behind him and wiped his bloody hands on a small purple towel. He looked up at Leo who was nervously pacing the bedroom hall.

"How-how is she?" Leo asked hoarsely.

"She's pretty banged up, but she's going to be alright, Leo."

Leo put a hand on Donnie's shoulder as a sob escaped his throat; his tears falling freely. He nodded his head at Donnie and drew back the curtain to his room. Even through all the dirt and bandages, she still looked like the most beautiful creature in the world. He walked over to the bed and kneeled beside her. He gently kissed Claire's hand, her cheek, her forehead; anywhere her skin was exposed.

Claire groaned and tried to open her eyes. She attempted to bring a hand to her head, but a sharp pain in her arm stopped her. Her sleepy gaze fell upon Leo's face; his cheeks were glistening. She twisted her good arm over and felt at his face, fingertips trailing down the path of his tears.

"L-Leo? Where am I?" Claire tried looking around, but everything seemed so bright.

"You are safe. You are home," he kissed her forehead. "Do you need anything?" He felt an unavoidable instinct to take care of her; make her feel better.

Claire ignored his question. It was the first time Leo was talking to her since that morning of the fight. "Leo, I am so sorry about…" she winced as she tried to speak. "I didn't want to hurt you. That wasn't what I wanted," she looked up at him, her lip trembling.

"Claire, that is all in the past. When I saw you lying on the – " his voice choked up. "Nothing mattered. My life wouldn't be complete without you. I see that now. It is up to me to find a balance between my duties and sharing my life with you." He took her hand and looked into her eyes. "You give me a renewed sense of purpose. A passion; a vigor I didn't have before. I love my brothers and would do anything to keep them safe. But what I feel for you is different than that. I want to protect you because I feel that you belong to me. I love you." His fingers lightly traced along her cheeks, coming to rest at her chin. Leo leaned in and kissed her.

Claire's heart swelled at his words. She kissed him back with all the strength she had. "Oh, Leo. I love you too."

Leo moved his lips up to her forehead and gently kissed it. He tucked the blanket around Claire and ran a hand through her hair. "Now, get some rest. I need you to heal up as quickly as possible."

Claire smiled at him. Even when she was lying in bed injured Leo still managed to dish out commands. "Okay," she softly said, eyes closing on their own.

* * *

Leo slid open the door to Master Splinter's room. "Father?"

"My son, how is Claire?" He looked up at Leo, both hands gripping his walking stick.

"She's going to be fine, thanks to Donnie. I wish to seek your advice. I am finding it hard to keep a balance between my duties as leader of our family and my duties to Claire as her companion. Is there maybe some higher state of meditation I can achieve to focus on this problem? Or maybe something you haven't shown me yet?" He looked into his father's face with hopeful eyes.

"My son, I have taught you everything that I know. You have achieved so much already, and if there is something else you are searching for, YOU will need to discover it." He looked at Leonardo thoughtfully. "You will go to Central America; you need to get away from the world you currently live in. There, you will be isolated so you can focus and hone your skills. You will discover how to be the leader you wish to become."

"Cen-Central America? But, I can't leave New York; I can't leave you! I am needed here." Leo's eyes were wide with worry.

Splinter chuckled, "We will be able to manage without you, my son. If this is something you truly wish for, it must be done."

Leonardo nodded his head, grimly. "How long will I be there for?"

"How ever long it takes."

* * *

Leonardo called a family meeting that night to tell everyone he would be going away. He had spoken to Claire about it first so she wasn't taken by surprise. Leo thought she handled it relatively well. He could tell she was very sad about it, but ultimately she knew it was the only solution for them to be together.

Raphael stood up after Leo broke the news, "This is bullshit! You are just goin' to abandon your family because you aren't strong enough to figure something out here? I mean really, Leo. Central America? Jesus Christ." He clenched his fists and glared at his brother.

"Raphael!" Splinter snapped. "The decision has already been made. And due to Leonardo's absence, there will be no patrol until he returns. It is too dangerous for only three Hamato's to take on the Purple Dragons."

Raphael kicked over his chair and stormed away towards the kitchen. Claire sighed and looked at Leo. He nodded his head imperceptibly and Claire rose to follow him. While the remaining members of the family spoke, Claire quietly stepped into the kitchen. "Raph?" He was leaning against the kitchen counter, shoulders slumped, eyes closed. His facial features were turned downward in a sad expression. Claire walked up to him and gently touched his arm. "I know you will miss him. It's okay, you can tell me."

Raph's eyes wandered down to her hand on his and snorted, "Whateva. I am more angry that we can't go patrollin'. The people depend on us to help keep the streets safe. How can we do that when are stuck down here."

Claire looked up at him thoughtfully. "Well, Master Splinter said that a Hamato could not go topside. Maybe you can be someone else for the night," she said carefully.

His chest puffed back up and he smirked at her. "I like the way you think."

* * *

Leo watched as Claire fiddled with some of the items on his dresser. She cleared her throat, "So, how long do you think you will be gone for?" She was afraid to turn around and face him. She didn't want him to see the pain in her face.

"I am not sure. However long it takes." He intently watched her every move. "I need to do this. I need to learn how to be a better leader." He stood from the bed and walked up behind her, wrapping his muscular arms around her waist as he kissed the back of her neck, nuzzling into her hair. "I'm doing it for us."

She spun around in his arms and looked up into his blue eyes. "I know. It's just; I'm going to miss you so much." She perked up a little and her eyes danced darkly, "I can't promise you I won't be out there at night, doing my thing. Splinter did only say that the **Hamato's** couldn't go topside. I am no Hamato." She smiled devilishly at him.

Leo ran his warm hands up Claire's arms, "Not yet," he murmured against her neck.

Claire's eyes grew wide and she pulled back to look at him.

"I know that is a bold statement, but I cannot imagine myself with anyone other than you. Ever. You are mine," he purred into her ear. "So I will go and get this all sorted out."

Claire threw her arms around his neck, sliding them up across his jaw and held his face in her hands. She kissed him deeply, longingly; as if it might be the last time. He turned and she watched as Leo left, a small piece of her heart leaving with him.


	10. Epilogue

******_Disclaimer: _****_I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original characters and plot, however, are mine. No copyright infringement is intended._**

******__****_This Epilogue has been slightly modified due to sexual content. Please visit my profile for AFF link for the full smutty version._**

* * *

**Two weeks after Leo's departure**

_Goddamn she is beautiful_, he thought stealing a glance at her as she pulled on her black riding boots. But she was with Leo and he would respect that. He had hurt his brother once when he and Claire slept together. Back then, he didn't know Leo had feelings for her. If he did, he would have never let it happen. He tried fighting it but he had fallen for her, hard. He would never admit it, but that night they spent together was special for him. The way her body felt under his, the way she had moaned his name when she came. Even now, her scent still lingered in his bed sheets. He just couldn't bring himself to wash them of her. It had hurt when she said it didn't mean anything; that she didn't have feelings for him. _It's always about Leo_, he thought bitterly. His eyes wandered over to Claire again as he pulled his bulky, muscular arm through the metallic sleeve. She had that look in her eyes; the one she got right before they went out to fight. But Raphael knew her too well. Behind those hardened brown eyes was sadness. She missed his brother. He hated seeing her unhappy. It invoked this feeling within him: protectiveness, a need to take care of her. It took all of his self-control to not scoop her up in his arms and rub his scent on her. After Claire's near-death incident at Club Blu, Leo's scent had been all over her. He must have rubbed himself on her every day. The rational, human part of Raphael knew that this helped him to keep his distance from Claire; she was already claimed. But the animal within desperately wanted to challenge Leo for her.

Leo's scent was already beginning to disappear from Claire and that made it even harder. He inwardly sighed.

_Doesn't matter, I'll be there for her. I'll be whateva she needs me to be_. Raphael could never tell Claire how he felt about her. If Claire knew, then she might stop spending time with him. He loved being around her too much. He couldn't let that happen. They were cut from the same cloth; she was the only one who truly understood him. In the highly improbable event that it didn't work out with Leo, he would be there waiting. _Like that would ever happen_, he thought darkly. _Leo almost fucked it up when he pushed her away the first time. He's not stupid enough to do it again. If he did, he doesn't deserve her._

Claire examined her katana on the wall as she suited up in the garage. Beside her, Raphael was attaching each piece of the dull, gray armor to his body. She zipped up her black leather jacket and looked over at him with a smile. It had been his idea, going out at night together to patrol the streets. He embraced his new persona; took it very seriously. It was a genius idea, really. Not only were they able to keep their identities a secret to the family, but they could monitor the city.

She walked over to the shiny, jet black bike sitting next to Raphael's red one. She had bought it with some of the money Grams left her. She ran a black, gloved hand across the handlebars; she loved having her own bike to take out. She wondered what Leo would say about it when he got back. It had only been two weeks since he left, but it felt like an eternity to Claire. She pulled her hand back from the bike and sighed. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Leo was everywhere. He was in every movement of her katana, every time she watched Space Heroes; hell, anytime she saw the color blue.

She exhaled and stretched her legs out before pulling herself onto the bike. She sheathed the katana on her back, securing it in place and gathered her long blonde hair into a ponytail before pulling her helmet on. She looked over at Raph; he was sitting on the bike fully armored and looked intimidating as hell. _A dark prince of the night_, she thought to herself, smiling beneath the sleek, black helmet. Raph revved his bike, waiting for her signal.

"Let's go get 'em, Watcher."

* * *

**Three months after Leo's departure**

**_Somewhere in Central America:_**

Three months had passed since Leo left New York. He never thought he would miss the bustle of the city, the sounds of the subway rattling their underground home. But he did. Since arriving in Central America, he had done a lot of soul searching; living off the land, protecting the people who inhabited the town there, but he still hadn't learned how to be a better leader. _I'm failing_, he thought to himself miserably. _I can't go home a failure_. _Maybe I won't go back at all_.

It was pouring and the streets in the small, dilapidated town were nearly empty. With his cloak drawn tightly around him, he caught a glimpse of an old, fuzzy television in the village's only bar as he walked the dark streets. _Was that the Empire State Building? _He stopped outside the door, eyes drawn to the dirty television. Chopper footage was showing a large figure in dull armor surrounded by a group of ten or so people. Leo squinted to read the headline: "Vigilantes in NYC". Beside the large figure was a much smaller one, dressed in all black, a mask covering most of their face. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the smaller one fight the men off. He knew that style anywhere. _Claire and Raph. _He felt the goose bumps travel over his body.

Before he left the lair, he sat down and had a heart to heart with Raphael. Leo knew that Claire would be out there on the streets fighting while he was gone and he felt that she would be the safest with Raphael. His brother promised him that would never make an advance at Claire and would take care of her while Leo was away. Even if Leo didn't fully trust him, he had no choice. He didn't want her to be alone.

His heart yearned for Claire. He missed waking up next to her, missed the touch of her soft skin, the way she laughed at his failed attempt at a joke. Seeing her fighting only made him that much more determined to return home successful; giving Claire what she deserved. He narrowed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He turned away from the bar and running, he crossed the street and made his way into the jungle. He wouldn't emerge until he had gotten what he came for.

* * *

**12 months after Leo's departure**

**_New York City:_**

Claire sighed, plopping herself down on Leo's bed. She had just come back from a night of patrolling with Raph and was completely exhausted. They had run into a particularly difficult group of Dragons and Claire had taken a few nasty bumps. She pulled off her boots and unzipped her black jeans, pulling them down over her navy blue, lace thong. She pulled the tie from her hair, unleashing blonde waves down her back and reached up to pull her black tank top off, tossing it onto the floor. She nearly jumped when a figure stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room. "Claire."

The sound of his voice made her heart soar. "Leo?!"

He quickly closed the distance between them, his hands gripping her waist as he buried his nose into her hair. "Claire, god, I missed you so much," he whispered into her neck. He pulled back to look at her; his eyes roving over her lean, toned body, happily noting the choice of her undergarment color.

Her lips found his in the dark and she kissed him hungrily. She slid her hands along the side of his mask and twirled her fingers into his bandana tails as she rose up onto her tiptoes to press herself into him.

"Leo, I love you."

With a soft growl, he hoisted her up into the air and she squealed at the sudden movement. He tossed her down onto his bed roughly and climbed up on top of her, pinning her down in between his legs. He leaned in and slowly, sensually rubbed his face all over her neck and exposed chest. Her breath hitched; it had been nearly a year since he had touched her. "Leo," she groaned out to him, placing her hands on either side of his face, pulling him back to her lips. Desperately she kissed him again and again, panting as she came up for air. She felt her thong slide slowly down her legs and come to rest at her ankles. She quickly kicked it off onto the floor, bringing her legs up around Leo's shell. She ran her hands across his plastron, paying careful attention to the new nicks and scrapes he had acquired in Central America. She wrapped her arms around his chest and brought her swollen, pink lips to his shoulder, kissing and licking the sensitive skin there. Leo moaned, throwing his head back as he gripped the headboard. "Leo, make love to me," Claire said softly. He pulled his head back down to look at her, his eyes a dark, hungry shade of blue. She reached around to quickly unhook her lacy bra. He grabbed her hands that were resting on his shoulders and pinned them on the pillow behind her head with one hand. Claire reveled in the feeling of being dominated by Leo. She squirmed as the feeling travelled down in between her thighs, knowing that Leo could smell her heightened arousal. She felt a bulge press up against her thigh and she knew he had released himself.

"Please, Leo, I am so close," Claire groaned. They had barely begun, but it had been a long time since Leo had taken Claire and the feeling was overwhelming.

He intertwined his fingers with hers and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She moaned loudly as she felt her release, curling her plum colored toes. Gasping for breath, Claire ran her fingertips over his muscles; they seemed to have grown larger while he was away. Again, he rubbed his cheeks across her face and neck to mark her, finally satisfied with the amount of his scent he had transferred to her. He rolled off Claire and drew her body in close to his, her back to his plastron.

He gently ran his fingers through her hair as she caught her breath. "I love you," he said in her ear.

"Mmmm," she responded, pulling his arms that were wrapped around her even closer. "I love you too, Leo." They lay silent for a moment before she spoke again. "So, how was Central America? Were you able to find what you were looking for?" She bit her lip. Even though they had just made passionate love, she needed to hear him say that they would be okay.

"You have nothing to worry about, my little _tenshi._ Everything will be alright. WE will be alright." He gently kissed the back of her head.

"But how? How did you –" Claire began.

"Shhh. There will be time for that tomorrow. Right now, I just want to hold you." He heard Claire sigh and felt her nestle her head further into the pillow. Stroking her hair, he listened to her breathing slow and grow deeper as she drifted off to sleep. He felt his own eyes droop and he allowed himself to fall asleep feeling an inner peace. All was right in the world.

**_Tokyo, Japan:_**

A small, dark figure gazed out of a large window onto the bright lights of the city; steely gray eyes surveying the streets below. "And what of my buntai? Have they been assembled and trained?"

"Yes, Mistress. All but the yellow-haired one. She proved…difficult to persuade. We were ultimately unable to acquire her."

"Pity. No matter. Phase Two of the operation will proceed as planned. I'm looking forward to seeing our green friends." Her tiny red lips curved into a sinister smile. "And an old lover," Karai murmured to herself.

* * *

**_A/N: Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed Seeing Red. It means a lot to me :) Be on the lookout for a one-shot that takes place while Leo was away. I will probably be posting that sometime in the next 2 weeks. I may also write a sequel to this story, but that wouldn't come for a few months. 3_**


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